True Repentance

Good afternoon, brothers, sisters, friends. I invite you to open your Bibles in the book of the Apostle Paul, the letter of the Apostle Paul to Philemon, as we continue to study that letter and to, may the Lord help us to grow in the likeness of Christ as we see more of God's word. So the letter of the Apostle Paul to Philemon. We'll read the whole letter, and then after that, we'll pray, okay? So Philemon, verse one.

Pope, a prisoner of Christ Jesus and Timothy, our brother. To Philemon, our beloved friend and fellow laborer. To the beloved Athia, Archbus, our fellow soldier, and to the church in your house. Grace to you and peace from God our Father and 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 the hearts of the saints have been refreshed by you, brother. Verse 8. Therefore, though I might be very bold in Christ to command you what is fitting, yet for love's sake I rather appeal to you, being such a one as Paul the aged, and now also a prisoner of Jesus Christ. I appeal to you for my son Onesimus, whom I have begotten while in my chains, who once was unprofitable to you, but now is profitable to you and to me. I am 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 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 then you count me as a partner, receive him as you would me. But if he has wronged you or owes anything, put that on my account.

I, Paul, am writing with my own hands. 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.

Verse 21. Having confidence in your obedience, I write to you, knowing that you 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. Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, greets you, as do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, Luke, my fellow labors. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.

Amen. Let's pray. Father, we just come before you, Lord, and we ask that you be with us. Speak into our hearts, Lord. that we may receive your word, the truth of your word, Lord, and that we may live by it.

Help my brothers, my sisters, myself, our friends here, Lord, to have our ears open to receive the truth and our hearts open, Lord, so that your truth may sink deep in our hearts. and that we may live for your glory, Lord. That the one who does not know you yet, Lord Jesus, that they may come to repentance and faith in you. That my brothers and sisters may rejoice in the salvation that you have given us and the forgiveness that we have in you, Lord. So, Father, be with us.

Speak to us. Help me, Lord, I pray. In Jesus' name, amen. Amen, brothers and sisters, last week we spoke a little bit about the love of Philemon and what it has caused in the heart of Paul. That the love of Philemon has caused Paul to act in such a manner that he dropped his credentials as an apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ.

And he approached his brother as a brother in Christ, as a prisoner of the Lord Jesus Christ. We saw a few sermons ago as well, the heart of Philemon himself, how he was refreshing the hearts of the saints, that his faith and his love was spoken of, and that Paul was aware of it, that this was bringing joy and consolation to the heart of the Apostle Paul and those with him. But today I want us to just see a little bit of this man on behalf of whom Paul is writing the letter, Onesimus. And we see that the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ does one of those things. We see that it is the power of God unto salvation.

That the gospel and the proclamation of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ indeed changes a man, changes the heart of man, as we spoke a few weeks ago. That this man now is born again. The one who receives from the gospel of Christ is changed in such a way that he becomes a new creature. He is born again. In the proclamation of the gospel, when that proclamation of the gospel happens, there are two commands from God towards those who hear the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Repent and believe in the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. Repent and believe in the Lord Jesus. Repentance is one of the important things in the proclamation of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. Without repentance, there is no salvation. We see now that Paul is approaching this man, Philemon, in love.

He says, yet for love's sake, because of the love that he has shown towards many and that is being reported to me, I approach you in this way. And I write this letter on behalf of Onesimus. And we see that how Paul starts his first argument in this letter. He says to Philemon, Philemon, this is a man that has been changed. This is a man now who has a new heart.

This is a man who was begotten by the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. The command, or what the apostle Paul asks Philemon to do, we see that is, therefore receive him. receive this man who has been changed in such a way. And his change and the change of his heart is being manifested in his attitudes. As I said, the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ requires two things when the gospel is proclaimed.

Repent and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. Kids, we spoke a little bit in the room there about repentance. And I want you to listen again to what we will speak now. Brothers and sisters in Christ, when we speak about repentance, let's just rejoice at the end of so great salvation that the Lord has given us. Because repentance is not something that we can produce in and of ourselves.

We will see that there was someone who sought repentance with tears but couldn't find it. The Scriptures will tell us. This is the work of God. And it happens through the proclamation of the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. So this afternoon, as we see a little bit of the Scriptures, I want to speak about repentance.

What it is. What it leads to. and the work of God in the salvation of men. As I said, Paul, the first argument of the Apostle Paul is saying, I'm writing to you on behalf of Onesimus. And he says, whom I have begotten while in my chains.

He calls Onesimus his son. We see that the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ has reached his life. And now he was begotten. He was a new creation in Christ Jesus. And the first argument, the apostle Paul, so that Philemon would receive this man is that he has been changed by the gospel.

The same gospel that changed you. Not to mention that you own your own life, Philemon, he says in this letter. The same gospel that has changed you has changed this man. And we have the first teaching of repentance, that in order for forgiveness to happen, repentance must take place. Then we need to understand what repentance is.

Because repentance is not just to be sorry for what I did. It entails much more than that. And we see that the Apostle Paul, when writing to the Corinthians, he'll say, I rejoice not because you are sorry, And we'll see why the rejoicing of the Apostle Pope in the repentance that was shown from the Corinthian church. And we see that this is the work of God. We see that this is the work of the Holy Spirit of God.

Because there are things that happen in repentance. First, is conviction of sin. The Lord brings you conviction of sin. The Lord Jesus Christ, when speaking to his disciples in the Gospel of John, he'll tell them, I think John chapter 15, that the Spirit will convict the world of sin, of judgment and of righteousness. That's what the action, one of the works of the Holy Spirit is to bring conviction of sins to our hearts.

Because what is sin? It's the transgression of God's law. The Spirit of God uses the Word of God to convict us of our sins. That's one step in the process of repentance. But that's not all.

entails much more. And when we think about conviction of sins, and we see that this man was presented to Philemon as someone who has been changed, when we think of repentance as a whole, we need to think of the fruits that repentance brings. Because when John the Baptist was preaching about that they should repent from their sins, and some come to him, a crowd comes to him and says, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? That's the warning. You need to produce fruits worth of repentance.

And all that the Apostle Paul is doing, he is showing Philemon, he has produced fruits worth of repentance. He says, he once was unprofitable to you. That was his life prior, but now the fruits are shown. He's profitable, not just to you, but to me. in such a way that I would desire to keep him with me.

He presents him as his own heart, the Apostle Paul tells us, my own heart, whom I wish to keep with me. I wish to have Onesimus here to me, because he has proven the work of God in his heart. And my desire is to keep, but I will not do that without your consent. I want it to be voluntary, but first and foremost, I want things to be settled between you and this man. said the Apostle Paul probably could have, if that was not needed, and I said, salvation is needed in the heart of a person, the process of repentance, which leads into salvation.

The Apostle Paul knew that. Because if he knew of the situation of Philemon, he could have said, go back to your master. But he was preaching and proclaiming the gospel to this man in such a way that he was changed. And he was not just changed, he was serving now the Apostle Paul. in such a way that he was now dear to his heart.

And he says, now Onesimus, go and settle things with your master. We don't know the things and the conversation in between the Apostle Paul or Onesimus, but as I said, repentance entails conviction of sin. And we don't know how Dionysius spoke with the apostle Paul. If he mentioned to him the things that he did to his master, probably he did so because Paul is aware of his unprofitableness. Paul is aware of that.

And just by recognizing what he has done to his master as the gospel of Christ comes into his heart and he repents of his sins, this shows the work and the mighty work of the gospel of Christ and that repentance entails conviction of sin. But it's not just conviction of sin. It's not just that I need to be sorry and I need to understand that I have sinned. It's much more than that. And when we think of repentance, we need to think of three things in repentance.

It's what happens in my mind, it's what happens with my emotions, it's what happens with my actions. It's a change of the whole man. It's not just that I understand now that I have sinned against someone, that I have sinned against a brother or sister in Christ in the context of the local church, that I have sinned against God when I sinned against my brother and sister in Christ. Repentance entails much more than an acknowledgement of sin, the sin that I have committed. It also entails a change of emotions and attitude as well towards the person and towards God.

We see it in Isaiah chapter 55. It's much more than be sorry for the things that we have done. It's much more than that. It goes beyond that. It's a whole change of heart.

It takes the whole man. And because it takes the whole man, it takes the power of God. Because we saw a few sermons ago that we were dead and seen in trespasses. There's nothing good in me, that the intentions of my heart, that the intentions of your heart are only evil continually. And if it's not the work of God and the power of God to bring you to repentance and to help you to look to the Lord Jesus Christ, this would not happen.

And when we proclaim that salvation belongs to the Lord, we say that repentance and faith is the work of God. And it's the work of the Holy Spirit of God in the heart of man, as he used the word of God. But all starts with the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. All starts with the proclamation of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. Look what Paul would tell us.

He'll say, verse 10, I appeal to you for my son Onesimus. He starts, whom I have begotten while in my chains. He starts with the gospel. The gospel has changed this man's heart. Brother and sister, we spoke a while ago.

This was the case in your life, and you know that. And you who do not know Christ yet, the only way for you to be saved is through the gospel, the power of the gospel from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. It is the power of God unto salvation, so that you should not boast before God. Nothing that comes from you. It comes from Him.

It comes from what Christ has done. Let's go to Ephesians, and we'll understand that. It all starts with the proclamation of the Word of God. Man cannot come to true repentance unless the Word of God is proclaimed, the truth of the Word of God and the Gospel of Christ. Look what Paul says in verse 13, after he speaks about the greatness of God and the salvation that is given to us in the Lord Jesus Christ, that we were chosen in Him before the foundation of the world, that we are accepted in the Beloved.

After he says all those things in praising, blessed be the God and Father of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, he says in verse 13, in Him, in Christ, you also trusted. It starts with the word, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. The proclamation of truth is what brings conviction of sin. That's why the scripture tell us that if your brother sins against you, go to him and rebuke him. Speak to him and point him to the truth.

If he repents, forgive him. But as I said, forgiveness, Prior to that, repentance must happen. And I don't want you to understand that we are not always, we should be always ready to forgive a brother or a sister in Christ in our heart. We should always be ready and with that heart and with a desire that our brother or sister, when they sin against us, that it would come to repentance. That should be the disposition of our hearts, ready to forgive.

but understand that forgiveness takes place as well and the person understands what they have done to the point that there are some scenes that the scripture will tell us that we should bring the church together to expose the sin but not to condemn the person with the desire that that person would come to the senses of the word of God and that we repent and that full forgiveness would take place and that relationship would be brought together Brothers, sisters in Christ, we should always be ready to forgive one another. There are situations that we are to speak to one another about sins that we have done against each other. But there are situations that the Scriptures, the Word of God will tell us that love covers a multitude of sins. That we are always ready to forgive. And that we forgive those little things that maybe for our brother he's not aware yet, but we forgive those little things and we pursue the truth of the Lord Jesus Christ in our relationship with one another.

There are sins that indeed break our relationship with our brother and sister in Christ. but our heart should be always one that is always willing to forgive, and always seeking to come to that place in which forgiveness in its full extent takes place, in which the person who did the wrong recognizes it, and that relationship is established. Because forgiveness, Christian forgiveness, is much more than the establishment of the old relationship. Remember what Paul would tell him. He said, O Philemon, receive him not as a slave anymore, but much more than a slave, as a beloved brother.

That was the gospel of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, towards us. It's not that we went back to that relationship that Adam had with God. It's much more than that. Now we are called children of God. We are received in the family of God.

The Lord grants us repentance. And then we see the beauty of Christ. And we come to terms of peace with God through the Lord Jesus Christ. But as I mentioned, repentance is not something that you can produce. It's not something that you can do on your own.

You have no strength, you have no power, you have no desire to repent unless it is granted by God. You can try to find repentance in your heart and you'll not find it on your own. It's only through the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. Let's go to Hebrews chapter 12. And I mentioned briefly about someone who sought repentance with tears but could not find it.

Remember that situation with Esau, we saw in Genesis, we see that in Genesis, that he sells his birthright. to his brother for food. He sells it. And now comes to a point in which his father Isaac is blessing and Jacob did the wrong thing in coming to his father and portraying himself as Esau. But he receives the blessing of his father.

as the firstborn. And yet, when Esau comes with the food to his father, and his father sees that, and Esau said, father, it's me. It's your son, Esau, your firstborn. And Esau trembles and said, I gave the blessing to your brother. He has taken the blessing already.

We see that, and we see that the scripture tells us that Esau, he cried. But his whole desire was for the blessing itself. Repentance entails recognition of sin and awareness of what sin brings to us and acceptance of that. It's not just that you recognize it. It's that you recognize it and you recognize the things that sin brings to you because of the sin that you have committed.

And you accept that if that's the will of the Lord because you have done something wrong. Let's see Hebrews chapter 12. Let's from verse 14. He says, pursue peace with all people and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord. Looking carefully, lest anyone fall short of the grace of God, lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled.

lest there be any fornicator or profound person alike Esau, who for one morsel of food sold his birthright. Verse 17, for you know that afterward, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, that was his goal, wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, recognition of what he has done by selling his birthright, and the repercussions of it, though he sought it diligently with tears. It's something you cannot find in and of yourself. As I said, the work of repentance is a work of the Holy Spirit of God. It convicts us of sin.

The Holy Spirit of God opens our eyes to see the sin that we have committed. But it's much more than a recognition of sin. It's a recognition that I have sinned against a brother or a sister in Christ. It's a recognition that I've done something wrong against a brother or sister in Christ. Remember the parable of the prodigal son.

He was planning to come to his father when he came to his sense and he said, father, I have sinned against you. It's a recognition of the sin or the thing that I have committed against a brother or sister in Christ, or someone, a neighbor or a friend. It's that awareness to the point that I have caused sorrow in the heart of that person. I don't deserve, remember that the prodigal son will say, I don't deserve to even be called your son. I have caused such a distress in your heart and my sin was such against you that I don't deserve to be called your son.

I don't deserve to be in the place that I was before. We see how the father acts towards that. There's a recognition of sin, of what he has done towards his father. The Holy Spirit of God is the one who needs to do the work in our hearts. We're so selfish, we're so taken by our own reasons, and our mind will go find ways in which we'll say, yes, that person deserved this, or that person deserved that.

Why should I come and ask for forgiveness? Why should I come? They have done that with me. Because forgiveness takes a lot as well. Not just repentance, but forgiveness of sins, when we think of the both sides of the coin.

Forgiveness and repentance, it takes a lot of the man. Repentance, it takes recognition of what we have done. Man is put in his place before God and before others to understand what he has caused. And forgiveness as well, because you need to drop the warfare and the war against your brother, sister in Christ, and you need to accept the wrong that they have done to you, that understanding. If they come to you in repentance, they are not to hold anything against them.

As I said, it's much more now than understanding what I've done with you, brother, what I've done with you, sister, what I've done with you, friend, what you have done with me. It's much more than that. It's understanding what we've done against God. Because when we sin against one another, we sin against the creator of all things. We see that in the parable of the prodigal son.

He'll say, I have sinned against heaven and against you. My sin, father, was not just against you. It was a fruit of my rebellion against God, the one who created me, the one who gave me you as a father. That was the sin that I have committed against you and against God. We see that with the Psalmist David, when he comes to the realization of his sin, and he says, I have sinned against you.

So repentance entails conviction of sin. It entails as well the repercussions of sin, I don't know if that's the word, but what sin does to us. Let's go to Psalm 51, and we'll see that. We see both conviction, recognition, and we see also that David understands what this brings to the heart of man, or to the experience of the Christian as well. Psalm 51.

He says, let's go from verse, let's read the psalm from verse one. He says, have mercy upon me, O God, according to your loving kindness, according to the multitude of your tender mercies, blot out my transgression, recognition of sin, blot out what I have done, Lord, wash me thoroughly from my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin, recognition. Lord, this is what I have done against you, for I acknowledge my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. It's something that is haunting me day and night, Lord. It's something that is before me day and night.

Against you, you only have I sinned, a recognition that that sin was done against God himself, the creator of all things, and done this evil in your sight. Sin is more than be sorry for what we have caused as well to others. is much more than the worry of what those that sin will cause to me, who have sinned against God and the others. Sinner is brought to a place where the sinner is brought to a place when repentance is given, that he sees that he has sinned against God, that pierces his heart. that he has sinned against his Creator.

And when it comes to the Christian, it pierces his heart that he has sinned against his Father, his loving Father, who has given his only begotten Son to be the propitiation for his sins. Against you, you only, I have sinned. and done this evil in your sight. You see everything, Lord. There is nothing that can be hidden from you that you may be found just when you speak.

I accept anything that may come because of my sin. You are just, Lord, in telling me that I am a sinner. You are just, Lord, and I agree with you in your sight of the things that have told me through your word. They found just when you speak and blameless when you judge, you're righteous, and you do righteous things. Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, that's who I am, and in my sin my mother conceived me.

Behold, you desire truth in the inward parts, and in the hidden parts you make me to know wisdom. Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean. It's your work, Lord. Wash me, and I shall be whiter than is low. Make me hear joy and gladness, that the bones you have broken may rejoice.

Hide your face from my sins and blot out my iniquities. God, he says, create in me a clean heart. Oh God, and renew a satisfied spirit within me. Look what he says about what sin can cause. He says, do not cast me away from your presence.

Because sin is what brings separation between us and God. But Lord, do not cast me away from your path. This is what I deserve, Lord. I understand that. And do not take your Holy Spirit from me.

Lord, I can lose the glimpse of the joy of your salvation. He says, restore to me the joy of your salvation. And uphold me by your generous spirit. There is a recognition of sin. I have sinned against you.

There is a recognition of what sin does to us. that we can lose assurance of our salvation. Peter will tell us that we can come to a point in which we forget that we are cleansed from our older sins, that we are cleansed from our sins. We forget, we come to that point in which sin is so entailed in us that we forget those things. True repentance comes from God.

It's a recognition. It's a recognition of what we have done. It's a recognition that what we have done is against the brother or the sister or a friend or a neighbor and against God himself. Not just a recognition. It's a recognition of the things that sin brings to us because of the sin that I have committed.

But it's much more than that. It entails much more than that. The Scriptures tell us that godly sorrow leads to repentance. So it's much more than that. This godly sorrow that leads to repentance, which is the process, part of the process into repentance, entails much more than that.

Now we come to a place in which we see the sin that we have committed against the Lord and against other, and we forsake it by the power of the gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. As I said, it's a change of mind, it's a change of heart, it's a change of emotions, and it's a change of attitude. Now I have dropped that scene, and I have left it behind me to pursue what is right. That's what entails repentance, godly sorrow, recognition of sin that leads into repentance. This whole process in which the sinner comes to that place, that they recognize what they have done.

They recognize that the things that will come because of their sin, they accept it if that's the will of God. But at the same time, they are willing by the grace of God to drop those sins, to put it aside. That's the call of God to us. We see that the Scriptures tell us that the one who lies should lie no more, that the one who steals should steal no more. That's part of the process of repentance.

You drop your sins, the sins that so easily ensnare us. You are willing to give it up, to give it up. That's the process of repentance. Because if we don't give and if we're not willing to give it up, we haven't reached repentance yet, as the Scriptures will tell us. It should be a willingness.

Even though we fight against sin day in and day out, brother and sister, you know the sins that so easily ensnare you, which may be different than the sin that so easily ensnared me. But the Scriptures tell us that we are to leave it aside and to run the risk with our eyes on our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. That you are to drop those things, but you know that you have no power in and of yourself. And that's why this race is ran as you look to the Lord Jesus Christ. You who do not know the Lord Jesus Christ yet, it doesn't take just raising your hand and say, I believe.

Demons, they believe and they tremble. Have you realized what you have done against God? Have you come to the point in which you know what you have done against the creator of all things, the one who created you, the one who gives you breath, the one who gives you each and every day places to go and people to see? Have you seen what you have done against Him? Your rebellion against the Creator of all things, the One who is holy, holy, holy.

Because to say that you believe, it won't change anything. As I mentioned, demons believe and they tremble before the Holy God. Has the gospel brought you to that place in which you realize what you have done against Him? In which you realize what you have done against others? And then you're brought to that place in which you recognize it before God.

And before God you say, Lord, I accept anything that comes because you're a judge and your rights is in your judgment, Lord. That's your will, Lord. I need to accept. There's nothing I can do. But Lord, be merciful to me.

Remember that there's forgiveness in the Lord Jesus Christ. There is forgiveness of sins in the Lord Jesus Christ. Repent and believe in the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. Repent and believe in Christ. There is no salvation without repentance.

And repentance is one of the processes in which God saves us. As I said, it's much more than dropping the sins that you have done. It's a turning to God. You recognize, you know, you have that conviction by the Holy Spirit of God that you have done what is evil against God in the eyes of God. You recognize the things that will come to you because of the sin that you have committed.

You understand that God is just and righteous, should judge you. but you seek forgiveness. And the one whom you should run from is the one whom you run to. Lord, you are the one who can throw me into hell. You are the one who can give me the worst of my torments, Lord, because I deserve it.

But you are the one who can give me and grant me grace and forgiveness of sins. Lord, I should run from you. Lord, depart from me, for I am a sinner, Peter said. But Lord, to whom shall we go? Only you have the words of eternal life.

Yeah, Lord, don't be close to me, but Lord, you are the one. You are the one. And we see that life of the Christian, in which they recognize and they see the holiness of God, but at the same time, they see the glory of the gospel of Christ, in which God shows his love, that while we are sinners, God Christ died for us. And this brings the Christian boldness to approach the throne of God. The work of the Holy Spirit in the life of the Christian is to convict of sin, is to show you that you deserve punishment, but also to bring you comfort through the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Lord Jesus Christ said in John, he said, the spirit, the helper, he will come and give witness of me. He'll proclaim me. He'll show me. He'll open the eyes of those who are in that distress, that see no other hope and no other way but the wrath of God just before them. They were warned by God that they need to flee from the wrath to come.

And they see the breath of fresh air of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, in which this God that they should run from is this God that they should approach in the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. As I said, repentance takes much more than be sorry for what you did. You recognize them. You recognize the things that will come against you. You drop the sins that you once committed against God by the power of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Yes, you're still fighting with sin. Yes, you'll still be fighting brother and sister in Christ until the Lord Jesus Christ comes. Not that we have attained perfection, but we pursue that. We pursue to be more like the Lord Jesus Christ. But it's not just a dropping of sins, it's a turning to God.

And I think Isaiah 55, verse seven, bring this whole concept just in one verse. Isaiah. All right, Isaiah 55, seven. Let's read from verse one. Look at the grace of God.

Oh, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters and you who have no money, come, buy it. It's free, yes, come buy wine and milk without money and without price. Why do you spend money for what is not bread and your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to me and eat what is good and let your soul delight itself in abundance. Incline your ear and come to me.

Here in your soul shall live. And I will make an everlasting covenant with you, the sure mercies of David. Indeed, I have given him as a witness to the people, a leader and commander for the people. And then he goes on. Let's go to verse six.

Seek the Lord while he may be found. Call upon him while he's near. Look what it says in verse seven. Let the wicked forsake his way. And the unrighteous man, his thoughts, let him return to the Lord.

So there's a forsaking of sins, and there's a turning to the Lord. And it says, and he will have mercy on him. And to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. For forgiveness to take place, repentance is needed. Paul knew that.

Paul knew that, and now he sends this man, Onesimus, who was changed through the gospel of Christ. And the first argument that Paul brings to the table is this. Philemon, this man, has been changed. Now there's no reason for you not to forgive him. He has given fruits worthy of repentance.

I have benefited from that. I have seen that to such an extent that mine desire is to keep him with me. That's his first argument. That's the process in the gospel for our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Forgiveness happens because what the Apostle Paul tells Philemon, receive him, entails forgiveness.

The receiving of Onesimus entails forgiveness. We don't know, the Scriptures doesn't tell us how was the conversation between Onesimus and Philemon when the letter is delivered, when Philemon reads the letter, and what was the conversation. We have a little bit of a glimpse of what could have been, and I think with the situation with Esau and with his brother, We see, I don't know if chapter 30 or 33, that Esau comes, and Jacob, knowing that Esau was coming, he bows seven times before him, seven times. Then he comes to Esau, he comes to Esau, and Esau, not even allowing his brother to come, runs to him. And they hug each other.

He holds his neck. He kisses his brother, and they cry together. There was recognition of sin. We see that Jacob was bowing before his brother seven times. He knew what he did to his brother.

But we see the beauty of the forgiveness of sins. Now, brother, sister in Christ, think about the gospel for our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Words fail me to explain or to expose in anyone here the beauty of this gospel of God. that you have committed a sin, not against someone who is finite, but someone who is above time, as our brother preached to us a few weeks ago. Someone who is beyond time.

Someone who is holy, holy, holy. Someone who lives in a light that we cannot even approach. Someone who demands perfection. This is the one who you face, friend, brother, sister in Christ. This is the one whom we will face.

But to those to whom the gospel of Christ was given, to whom repentance was given, and then the forgiveness of sins through the gospel of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, what a joy should we have. And this should warm our hearts in such a way that we are ready to forgive one another. Remember, Philemon was a saved man, was a brother in Christ. The same gospel that saved him saved Onesimus. Remember that in the light of the forgiveness that you have in the gospel of Christ, you are to forgive your brother and sister in Christ.

We are to forgive one another. The one who is forgiven much, he loves much, and he's ready to forgive at any time. And brothers and sisters, the answer is the same. When things happen in between us, as brothers and sisters in Christ, when sin comes and takes place in our midst, when someone has sinned against you, when I have sinned against you, when someone has sinned against you, when I have sinned against you, the only way that we can deal with that is through the gospel of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. There are no many steps that you can take to solve this situation.

be solved in your heart. The Lord Jesus Christ tells us when he's speaking about a parable, he says, if you don't forgive your brother and your sister in your heart that they've sinned against you, for something that needs to take place in here. And it's always possible in the light of the greatness that we have in the gospel of Christ, the forgiveness of sins that we have in the Lord Jesus Christ. Ephesians chapter 1, The Apostle Paul will say, blessed be the God and Father for our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing that heavenly places in Christ, just as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world. He says that we should be holy and without blame before him.

In love, he predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of the glory of his grace, by which he made us accepted in the beloved. In him we have the forgiveness of sins, the redemption, We have that in the gospel of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. And this is what should drives us. Abide in the gospel of Christ. There's power in the gospel of Christ to save you, friend.

There's power in the gospel of Christ to sanctify you, brother and sister in Christ. That's the beauty of the gospel of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. And when we take away our eyes from this mighty work of God, that's when we fall into sin. Remember the parable that the Lord Jesus Christ will tell his disciples about the master that forgave his servant that on him a debt that he could not even pay. And he goes out and he sees another servant and then he requires that servant to forgive him and to pay him what he owns.

He just left his master's house, his master's place, the palace of the king, and yet he forgot what was done to him and said, brother, sister, may the Lord help us to abide in the gospel of Christ. The only way that I can be ready to forgive you, the only way that you can be ready to forgive me, the only way that I can come to you and point you to your sins, the only way that you can come to me and point me to my sins is only if the gospel of Christ is in the forefront of your mind. so that you come with a spirit of meekness and gentleness, knowing that if it's not the grace of God, you'll be doing the same thing or even worse. The gospel of Christ is what changed the heart. Forgiveness of sins.

So what repentance is? What is repentance? Remember, repent and believe in the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. There's a whole process that takes place. Godly sorrow is brought to our hearts.

We are convicted from our sins. We see what we have done. As the Lord opened our eyes to see that. That leads to repentance. We forsake the things that we have done and we turn to God.

And that repentance leads to salvation. So friends, if you don't know the Lord Jesus Christ, the gospel of Christ is this. You have sinned against the Holy God. You have done atrocious things against the one who created you. You have raised up your feast in rebellion against Him.

But yet He sent His only begotten Son, the one who knew no sin, the Lord Jesus Christ, who was perfect in all His ways, who lived a perfect life, who was in everything pleasing the Father. He says, this is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased, the one who knew no sin. He went to that cross and He became sin, so that in Him we may become the righteousness of God. The Lord Jesus Christ died on that cross, paid the price that we could never pay, and He rose from the dead. That was the seal of God saying, accept what Christ has done.

This is indeed my Son. This is indeed God. The resurrection of Christ, and now He's ruling, He's reigning, seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come one day to judge the world in righteousness. You face Him, the wrath of the Lamb of God.

but there's forgiveness of sins in the gospel of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Repent and believe in the gospel of Christ. Brother and sister in Christ, if there's anything you're holding against anyone, brother and sister in Christ, if there's anything that anyone has done against you, think about the gospel of Christ. Think about what he has done. If you need to come to that brother, to that sister, and tell them what they have done, There are points in which we need to do that.

Come with that spirit of gentleness, knowing that if it's not the grace of God in your life, you'll be doing the same thing. You'll be acting the same way or even worse. The one who stands, take heed so that he may not fall. The answer for all things is Christ and Christ alone. It's Christ and Christ alone.

There's nothing else that we can say. I cannot point you to a way to do it. I can only point you to the Savior. And say, look what He has done for you, brother and sister. Look the forgiveness of sins that you have in Christ.

And as you realize, as you look to Christ, and you see that you have been forgiven much, then your love grows. And then you love much through the gospel of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Let's go to 2 Corinthians chapter 7. what this whole process entails, or what happens. He said, it's not just to be sorry, and I just wanna close with this.

It says in verse eight, Paul says to the Corinthians, for even if I made you sorry with my letter, I do not regret it. Though I did regret it, for I perceived that the same epistle made you sorry, though only for a while. Now I rejoice, verse 9. Not that you were made sorry. Not that you're just recognized and you're made sorry of the things that you have done.

Not because of that. But that your sorrow led to repentance. For you were made sorry in a godly manner that you might suffer loss from us in nothing. Look what he says in verse 10. For godly sorrow produces repentance.

leading to salvation, not to be regretted, but the sorrow of the world produces death. Brother and sister in Christ, have been forgiven much. If the Lord tells you, you are forgiven, you came to him and repented from your sins by the power of the gospel of Christ, has he granted you to do that? Remember that the Lord has cast away your sins far away. and we are to do the same with one another.

Remember, this brother in Christ was required by Paul to receive him, not as a slave anymore, but much more than a slave, a beloved brother. Beloved brother to me, how much more to you? How much more to you, brother and sister in Christ? That's the process of salvation, in which God brings repentance, brings us to godly sorrow, the conviction of sins and the realization of what we have done. Help us to drop our sins away and to turn to the one who has all the right to throw us into hell, has all the right to throw us into the worst of our nightmares.

But yet, He has given us the forgiveness of sins in the gospel of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. And in light of that, of that relationship that we have with God through Christ, let's have that relationship with one another. And may the Lord help us, if at any point, which will happen, when it happens that we are required to forgive a brother or sister, remember the words of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. If they come to you, and ask you for forgiveness. If they say, I repent, forgive them.

Lord, how many times? Just seven? No, 70 times seven, seven times 70. So come and forgive in such a way that when they come to you, always with a heart of repentance, you need to be ready to forgive and to grant that forgiveness, not to hold anything against them anymore. that was with Onesimus.

He was a slave who ran away from his master, probably stole something. Paul would say, if he owes you anything, charge on my account. But now, don't take that against him anymore. He was changed. He came to you.

This is my letter to you, Philemon. Receive him, not as a slave anymore, but as a beloved brother. Someone who has been changed by the gospel of Christ. And the change that I've seen in his heart, I want you to witness as well. And he sends this brother back.

And that's his first argument. Things have changed, Philemon. Brother and sister in Christ, let's dwell in the gospel of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. By the grace of God, things have changed. And we are not to hold anything against each other.

We are to come to one another in truth, and to expose the sin, because there are times that it is needed, but yet we are to come with a spirit of gentleness and with our heart ready to forgive. May the Lord help us to repent from the sins that we commit to one another as we live a life in the context of the local church, so that the love of God may abound in our midst. so that those that are outside may look to the church, to the body of the Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and say, how can this situation happen? Someone who has done wrong to another person come to terms of peace in such a way that there is not even mention of the wrong that was done before, in such a way that they give themselves to one another. And this is the power of the gospel of Christ.

that they may see the love that we have for one another, and that they may know that we are disciples of Christ, of the one who has given us the forgiveness of sins, who has cleansed us from all unrighteousness, and who forgives us each and every day, because we still sin. The Apostle John will tell us, I write this still so that you may not sin, but when you sin, because I know that this will happen, know that we have an Advocate, Lord Jesus Christ, and God is faithful and just to forgive you your sins. Brother and sister in Christ, let's look to the gospel of Christ. Let's rejoice in so great salvation. Friend, look, there's forgiveness of sins in the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.

That's the only place you can find that forgiveness of sins. Repent and believe in the gospel of Christ. Amen, let's pray. Father, we thank you, Lord. We thank you for so great salvation and everything that takes place.

It's a change of mind, a change of heart, a change of attitude, Lord, that we cannot do on our own. As the ill cannot change the color, Lord, as no one can change the color of his or her skin, Lord, we cannot get away, get rid of sin. It's the power of your gospel, the gospel of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. the gospel that is proclaimed, and the gospel that brings about the salvation of the soul, as the Spirit of God, as your Holy Spirit applies it to the heart of the sinner. Lord, if there is anyone here who does not know you yet in Christ, we pray, Lord, that you may bring conviction of sin.

godly sorrow that leads to repentance, leading unto salvation, that they may repent and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, knowing that there's forgiveness of sins in Christ and in Christ alone. Now to my brother and to my sister in Christ, to all of us, Lord, whom you have saved by your grace, I pray, help us to rejoice in this great salvation of yours, Lord. Help us to grow more and more in the understanding of the forgiveness of sins that we have in Christ Jesus. That we may see that we've been forgiven much, Lord, so that we may love much and be always ready to forgive one another. Help us to repent of our sins, Lord.

and help us to come with boldness before the throne of grace, knowing that you are just and faithful to forgive us our sins, not because of us, but because of Christ. So Lord, as we approach the table now this time, Help us to have a glimpse of this glory, Lord, of the gospel of Christ, as we take the elements upon our hands and as we pour upon our Lord Jesus Christ's feet for us. Help us to rejoice in so great salvation and the forgiveness of sins we have in Him. Be with us, Lord. We pray in Jesus' name.

Amen.