Title: Philemon's Forgiveness (Pm 01:8-18)
Contents 1. Forgiveness
Sometimes we meet people who harm us, and sometimes we see ourselves harming others. Often people find that when they have harmed others, they want others to forgive them, but when others have harmed them, they will not forgive them.
When I was young, I received a lot of forgiveness. When I was in the 4th year of public school, I went into the orchard next to my house and was caught by the owner's grandfather, who gave me an apple and told me not to do it again. Afterwards, my mother got angry, but anyway, he forgave me like that, and he gave me not only forgiveness but even greater love, so I can still remember that grandfather and haven't stolen anyone else's things since then.
In any case, even though forgiveness is insignificant to us, it turns out that it exerts tremendous power. You can see that there are many stories of forgiveness in the Bible. Esau's forgiveness for forgiving Jacob who took away his birthright (Genesis 33:4-15), Joseph forgiving his brothers who sold him, Moses' forgiveness for begging for forgiveness for Miriam and Aaron who slandered him Many people like David who forgave Shimei who cursed him, the Lord's forgiveness for begging for those who crucified him, Stephen who asked for forgiveness for those who killed him, and Paul who forgave those who left him. There is.
Through those who have forgiven in this way, we can know that God's love has been spread to many people, and that God's existence is revealed through this kind of forgiveness.
2. Philemon's Forgiveness
Today's Word of God records the story of Philemon, who forgave the slave who ran away. A man named Philemon, who forgave Onesimus, who had fled with his possessions, was a man who received evangelism in Ephesus and established a church in Colosse. A servant named Onesimus, who was in that house, ran away and met Paul who was in prison in Rome. He wrote a letter to Philemon asking him to forgive his servant Onesimus. After all, although Philemon does not appear in the text, we can see that there is a story that says that he forgave Onesimus and became one brother.
Philemon was able to forgive his servant Onesimus because he knew that the Lord had forgiven him of his sins, and therefore he also felt it was right for him to forgive others.
Then, what was our Lord's forgiveness? It can be said that it was like a father waiting for his prodigal son, and it was unconditional and out of love to make us sons again. You can see that the Lord Himself forgave many people and spoke a lot about forgiveness.
In Matthew 18:21-22, Jesus said to Peter who asked, "If a brother sins, how many times must he forgive him?"
“I tell you, not only seven times, but seventy times seven times.”
But the Lord says in Luke 17:3: “Be careful with yourselves,” he says, “if your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him.” And if he sins against you seven times a day and he comes back to you seven times and says, “I repent, forgive him.” In Matthew 5:38-39 he says: "You have heard it said, 'An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth,' but I say to you, resist the evil one; Turning back..." What are these words? Our Lord simply tells us that we must forgive. But he doesn't tell us to forgive unconditionally. Forgive, but if you repent, do it. When you forgive, touch your left cheek. It's like a bag of apologies. Active forgiveness like the grandfather I gave, forgiveness that melts away mistakes with greater love The Lord is telling us to do this kind of forgiveness.
In addition, the Lord says in Matthew 12:31-32: “Therefore, I say to you, all sins and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but blasphemy against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven; will not be forgiven."
Through this, we must rethink our forgiveness. The unforgivable sin is to disobey the Holy Spirit, that is, to make it known that you are trying to become the master. All sins of human nature can be forgiven, but we must not forgive those who become creators and disobey the Spirit of God. It's not that we shouldn't forgive, it's that we should forgive when we repent. Therefore, the truth must be revealed to those who have sinned against the unforgivable Holy Spirit.
3. My Forgiveness
Through what kind of forgiveness are you living? Are you living a life where you only ask for forgiveness and never forgive? Today, through Philemon's loving forgiveness, the Lord gives us active forgiveness through active forgiveness to all people. You will have to remember that we are telling you to know.
What would you do with the one who slaps you on the right cheek If we look at our lives, we will find that we are full of events that are absolutely unforgivable. We are living in a situation where we cannot forgive our parents who do not understand our feelings, we cannot forgive our teachers who beat us, and we cannot forgive our friends who say things we do not want to hear.
That is, your forgiveness should not simply be the forgiveness of condoning people's sins and errors, but the forgiveness of making a servant brother, an active forgiveness of not allowing the person who strikes the right shoulder for no reason to strike again. As Jacob and Esau became one again, it must be the forgiveness that connects Thorazin again as one. It must be a living forgiveness that makes us repent for the sins of our brothers who betrayed us. And it must be courageous forgiveness that warms the hearts of those who slander you. He says it must be a living forgiveness that is resurrected to those who kill and slander you. Do you think this kind of forgiveness can be faked?
This kind of forgiveness can only be done by those who have the Lord's heart and gratitude for the Lord's forgiveness. And it is through such people that the church can grow and the church can grow into a beautiful figure.
4. Forgiveness
Through the forgiveness of Philemon, who received Onesimus as his brother, we must remember that today the Lord wants us to restore all our broken relationships and to spread the gospel of the Lord to the whole world through forgiveness that melts away all our sins. is.
Forgiveness in which a son who cut off relationship with his father through forgiveness returns to the relationship between father and son That is, he is asking for forgiveness from us.
Just as the Apostle Paul can command Philemon, but he prayed for love, so the Lord can command us, but he encourages us to have a forgiving heart. Therefore, he will tell us to choose now to be the ones who can forgive your friend. Forgive, but forgive as brothers, not slaves.
In order to do that, the courage to put the left cheek on us, the broad heart to embrace, the firm heart that God is with me, and I feel like I am losing money right now, but as the Lord who seems to end in death has risen, I will forgive you. It means that I must have a rich heart that never loses. When we have such a heart, everywhere we live, everyone will change from slaves to loved brothers, and the Lord's forgiveness will spread throughout the world in which we live.
I hope that through the Lord's forgiveness, we will become middle school friends who are welcomed as companions all over the world.