The Gospel Changes Lives

Introduction

I think I’ve told you before that when I was a child, I was a voracious reader of comic books. I can remember two disappointments from comic books, specifically the back pages of comic books. If you can remember, I don’t know how they’re done now, but when I was a child, the back pages of comic books would be advertisements of little things you could cut out and attach a check or a money order and send it in, and they would send you back that item that was advertised. It was a good educational experience. It educated me on the tenets of false advertising. I can remember being excited to be able to send off what I thought was a small amount of money, actually a small amount of my parents’ money, and I was going to receive these lifelike army men that I was told would come in an authentic army footlocker.

Weighted with excited anticipation.

Number one, the army men were not the army men that I was used to. They weren’t three-dimensional, they were just flat. It wouldn’t even stand up.

It was colored like an army footlocker, but was in no means authentic. The other disappointment I learned is that I can remember as a child, and isn’t it funny how the naivete and simplicity of the things you used to think of as a child, I somehow I had formed it in my mind that it was the law of the land, that if you found an old advertisement, that they had to honor that price.

Number one is that that price is no longer valid. That was an old price. In fact, that company’s probably not even in business. They were scamming young kids years ago and probably went out of business and replaced by new scammers. I thought those old things still applied today. Well, that’s not true of advertising, is it? But what a contrast this ancient book that we read is. That number one, there’s no false advertisement involved at all. And secondly, that those words, though first spoken and recorded thousands of years ago, are still just as valid and applicable today. Well, you get your New Testament and go to the book of Hebrews, chapter 4, and see how this book describes itself. In glowing contrast to any other old words.

In Hebrews chapter 4 and in verse 12, after telling us to be diligent in our service and our study and application of God’s word, the Hebrew writer says, here’s why we are diligent in that word. Hebrews 4, verse 12, for the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, peace piercing even to the division of soul and spirit and joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and the intents of the heart. The word of God is living, and it is powerful. This is not some expired ancient text. These are not just lifeless dead words on a page that might be interesting to be taught in some child’s Bible class. These words are living and powerful. Would to God that everyone, not just in this audience, but in the entire world, would come to that recognition that the word of God can do something personally in our lives.

The Apostle Paul came to that realization, and so he could say to his Roman brethren, I’m not ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ, for it’s the power of God to salvation. I want you to know two things this morning. The Word of God is living and active and powerful. And number two, you should not be ashamed of it. Because it’s the power of God. And that word, the word of God, the gospel of Jesus Christ, is living and powerful. It is the power of God because it changes things. It can change you. It can change your life. Go with me, if you will, to the short letter known as Philemon. Go to Hebrews and take a left. Just 25 verses in this short letter. There’s many things that make this letter stand out as unique among all the epistles of the New Testament.

Number one is its brevity. Number two is that it was written to an individual, where most of them were written to collections of individuals known as churches, but this was written to an individual. And it was written about a very particular incident and relationship that existed. In a lot of ways, it’s a simple book in its brevity. There’s only three characters involved. The Apostle Paul, who pinned it by inspiration, the recipient of the letter, Philemon, and then the main object of the letter, a man by the name of Onesimus. So there’s three characters. So it’s already simple in that regard. The difficulty that lies in this brief book is that everything that we can know about two of those three characters is contained within this short book.

And so we have to connect some dots. It seems from our reading of the book of Philemon, which by the way, we’ll do in just a moment. That we learn some things. Number one, the Apostle Paul is in prison at the time of this writing. A man by the name of Onesimus has come to him while he’s in prison and has helped him. And this Onesimus has apparently run away from the other man by the name of Philemon. It is thought that maybe Onesimus was a slave. And Philemon was the master. And Onesimus has run away from Philemon. Maybe he has stolen something and run away. Or maybe he has just stolen himself as a slave and run away. And Onesimus has come to Paul. Paul, it appears, has taught him the gospel, and Onesimus has now become a Christian, as Philemon, the master is.

And so Paul writes these short 25 verses to Philemon about Onesimus in saying, accept him back. And accept him back not just as the master slave relationship, but now in this newfound relationship as brother to brother. Let’s take the brief time to read the book of Philemon. Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus and Timothy our brother, to Philemon, our beloved friend and fellow laborer, to the beloved Aphea and Archipus, our fellow soldier, and to the church in your house. Grace to you and peace from God our Father in the Lord Jesus Christ. I thank my God making mention of you always in my prayers, hearing of your love and faith which you have toward the Lord Jesus and toward all the saints, that the sharing of your faith may become effective by the acknowledgement of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus, for we have great joy and consolation in your love, because of the hearts of the saints have been refreshed by you, brother.

Therefore, though I might be very bold in Christ to command you what is fitting, yet for love’s sake, rather I appeal to you, being such a one as Paul the aged, and now also a prisoner of Jesus Christ.

Who once was unprofitable to you, but now is profitable to you and to me. I’m sending him back. You therefore receive him, that is my own heart, whom I wish to keep with me, that on your behalf he might minister to me in my chains for the gospel. But without your consent, I wanted to do nothing, that your good deed might not might not be by compulsion, as it were, but voluntary. For perhaps he departed for a while for this purpose, that you might receive him forever. 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. If you then count me as a partner, receive him as you would me.

But if he’s wronged you or owes you anything, put that on my account. I, Paul, am writing with my own hand. I will repay. Not to mention to you that you owe me even your own self besides. Yes, brother, let me have joy from you in the Lord, refresh my heart in the Lord. Having confidence in your obedience, I write to you, knowing that you will do even more than I say. But meanwhile, also prepare a guest room for me, for I trust that through your prayers I shall be granted to you. Epiprus, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, greets you as do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, Luke, my fellow laborers. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen. Three characters, Paul, Philemon, and Onesimus.

1. Paul: From Persecutor to Prisoner

Let’s look at how all three of these characters’ lives were changed and in no small way by the gospel. Let’s first look at the author of the book. What a change the gospel made in his life. No wonder he would say that the gospel is the power of God to salvation. No wonder he would also say, of that gospel I’m not ashamed. Because look at the transformation that took place in his life. Specifically in this book, he’s gone from being a persecutor to now a prisoner. How ironic that now this man is in prison and being persecuted because of his faith in Jesus Christ. When it wasn’t all that long ago that he was on the other end of that equation, wasn’t he? And surely that thought occurred to Paul every day that he was in prison.

2. Onesimus: From Useless to Useful

That he had earlier put people in prison for the very faith that he now proclaimed. The gospel made that change. From being the persecutor to the persecuted, to being the imprisoner to being the imprisoned. It changed Paul in so many other profound ways. Think about this. Of Acts 9, verse 1, who was breathing out threatenings and slaughter and murders and imprisonments against the people of God is now the Paul who could pin these words. For God is my witness, how greatly I long for you all with the affection of Jesus Christ. The gospel’s living and powerful to effect such a change. We think about Onesimus, the slave. And what we can piece together from this short letter of the book of Philemon is that Onesimus had run away.

And Paul would say of him, now what’s interesting is the name Onesimus itself, which historians tell us was a common name for slaves, the word Onesimus means helpful or useful. But Paul would say of this Onesimus that to Philemon his master, that he had become useless. Look with me in the book of Philemon. In speaking of this Onesimus, his son that he mentions in verse 10, who he says in verse 12, I am sending him back to you, he says of him that he’s to accept him no longer as a slave, verse 16, but as a brother. And verse 18, if he is owed you anything, put that on my account. He says this Onesimus, who had been useless, is now profitable for you again in verse 11.

Onesimus, that means useful, certainly was useful to him when he was in his employee as a slave, but when he ran away, he became useless. He wasn’t doing his duties anymore. But Paul says he can be useful to you once again. The transformation that’s taken place in Onesimus. That it seems that he is willing to return voluntarily on his behalf as well. To take up his obligations as onerous and detestable as they may be, to take up his obligations.

In Onesimus.

3. Not Just as a Slave, but as a Brother

That a change has taken place in the gospel, that before this relationship between Philemon and Onesimus seemed to be strictly the idea of the relationship between a master and a slave. But Paul says now that you accept him back, not just as a slave, but as a brother. What Paul is saying here is your relationship with this man has now changed. Why? Because I have begotten him as a son while in my chains. That means he has become a child of God, and as Paul would point out to Philemon, he is now your brother. Wow. What a change. This relationship will be like it never was before. Because the word of God is living and powerful. Let’s think about the application in our own lives. How can the gospel have that effect or a similar powerful effect upon me?

4. From Sinner to Saint

It changes us. The word of God is living and powerful. The gospel is the power of God to salvation because it transforms us from sinner to saint.

You’ll remember that in Acts chapter 22, when Paul is retelling the story of Jesus making his appearance before him and him going into that city and being told what he must do in order to be saved after having so profoundly been told that he was lost. This Saul, who just days earlier was an enemy of the cross.

And let’s just pause here and think about what he had done and compare that to your own sinful past.

He had spoken openly against Jesus Christ. He aided in the stoning to death of Stephen, whose only crime was that he believed and preached Jesus Christ. But that was just the start.

Dragging them from their homes, throwing them into prison. The biblical text tells us that he persecuted and beat those people because of their faith. The man himself would say, I cast my vote to put them to death.

I think what may have weighed heavy upon Paul’s heart more than the Christians he beat and killed were the Christians that he didn’t imprison and kill because under the threat of such they gave up their faith. That man is told this in Acts 22, verse 16. And now, why are you waiting? Arise and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord. Don’t let the simplicity of that command overshadow the power of what was going to take place in that transaction. Wash away your sins. That tells us of the power of the gospel, but that tells us of the hope of the gospel. If his heinous sins could be washed away when he submitted to baptism, then surely there is hope for me through the power of the gospel.

It changes who we are.

That transaction, when we are baptized, having our sins washed away, that a change takes place, and that every child of God better be keenly and freshly made aware of that change. After having spoken of the grace of God, of how it erases that sin, Paul will say, paraphrasing, don’t misunderstand the grace of God. That does not wipe you clean of your sins, freeing you up to commit more sin. That’s not what it was about. And so he says in Romans 6, beginning in verse 1, Shall what shall we say? Shall we continue in sin? That grace may abound? Certainly not. How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? Or do you not know that as many of you as were baptized into Christ, Jesus have put on to have been baptized into his death.

Therefore we were buried with him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness and life. Paul says we were changed. The answer to the question, why don’t I commit sin? Why don’t I walk in sin is simply this. I was changed. It was the power of the gospel that did that.

That we’re no longer lost. But we are found.

5. From Being Selfish to Serving God

And the gospel is so powerful that it can change us from being selfish to self.

To just being concerned about me. To having our eyes and our hearts open to a greater and deeper cause. Turn over to the book of Colossians, chapter 3. This comes about when we, through the power of the gospel, submit ourselves to God. And recognize we’re now servants of His. Begin with me in Colossians chapter 3, and we’re going to read some categories here of relationships and situations in which we find ourselves and what our obligations are. And I’m not so concerned this morning with what those obligations are, that’s for another time. But I want us to notice why those obligations are placed upon us and why we willingly fulfill those obligations. Wives, he begins in Colossians 3, verse 18. Wives submit to your own husbands as is fitting in the Lord.

Husbands, love your wives and do not be bitter toward them. Children, obey your parents in all things, for this is pleasing to the Lord. Fathers, do not provoke your children lest they become discouraged. Bond servants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh, not with eye service as men pleasers, but in sincerity of heart, fearing God. And whatever you do, do it heartily as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of inheritance, for you serve the Lord Christ. He who does wrong will be repaid for what he has done, and there’s no partiality. Masters, give your barn servants what is just and fair, knowing that you also have a master in heaven. Do you get Paul’s point?

6. From Being Hopeless to Hopeful

Do you get the Holy Spirit’s point? Everything I do is because I submit and serve God. The gospel has changed me. I no longer serve self. I serve God. And as these passages and numerous other New Testament examples point out, that is because I submit to God, and therefore I serve Him through serving others. Lastly, the power of the gospel is seen in changing me from being hopeless to hopeful.

Sadder words than the word hopeless. I apologize, but find it necessary to use this illustration. The profound sadness of that word can be seen and heard in the hospital room when that is the doctor’s diagnosis. Hopeless. The depth of the sadness of that word in that scenario cannot compare to that being our spiritual diagnosis. In the book of Ephesians, chapter 2, the apostle describes our condition outside of Christ. When he says that at that time, that’s the time before the gospel took its power in our life to transform us. That at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in this world.

Conclusion

That profoundly describes the condition outside of Christ of being totally and hopelessly lost without hope, without direction, without purpose. But thanks be to God that his word is living and powerful and can change that. To now we’re no longer aliens and strangers, we’re no longer without hope. But because of the guidance and the love and the power of God, we have purpose. And we have a goal. And we have a longing for home. Because those, albeit old words, have not diminished in their power one whit. The power of God to salvation. Would you let that word transform you today? From a sinner to a saint, from being useless to useful, from being selfish to selfless, and from being lost and without hope, to full of hope and direction and life.

Would you come to Christ in obedience to that gospel? Do what that preacher told that persecutor to do. Arise and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord. You’d become a child of God this morning. If you’d come back and rededicate and refocus your faith in that powerful gospel, and we can help you in that in any spiritual way. Let it be known right now, as together we stand and as we sing.