The following is a sermon transcript from our Sunday Service at The Rock Church in Mount Laurel, New Jersey. Each week, we gather to worship, learn from God’s Word, and grow together. This transcript is provided as a free resource to encourage and equip you in your walk with Christ. While you’re welcome to read and share this content for personal use, we kindly ask that it not be redistributed or published elsewhere without prior written consent from The Rock Church.
Introduction: The Question of Real Change
I’m sure there have been many points in your life when you’ve asked the question, how do I change? You know what I mean. It’s how do I become a better spouse? A better employee? A better friend? A better parent. The list is endless and the world has a lot to say when it comes to self-improvement.
Conventional wisdom, which is to say that which is generally accepted to be true, speaks to this. And there are in fact two categories of conventional wisdom that emerge. There is the pessimistic and the optimistic. You might find yourself in one of those two camps.
What do I mean? Well, you could probably guess. On the pessimistic side, it’s the philosophy that says, man, I will never change. I will always struggle. Life is always going to be hard. I’m just wired that way. It’s my genetic disposition. It’s my upbringing, my environment. In other words, you’re the victim. It’s not your fault. It’s just the way it is.
And then on the other hand, there is the optimistic conventional wisdom that says that you can change if you just put the hard work that’s required to do. If you make the right choices, if you get around the right people, self-improvement is sure to follow.
This kind of wisdom is surely present within the church. If I just memorize enough Bible verses, join an accountability group, do good for my neighbor, then that’s enough. That will do it. That will change my life.
Now, don’t get me wrong. I’m not trying to discourage you from the spiritual disciplines. These are, in fact, important in our daily lives. What I’m trying to communicate is the difference between human effort and God’s power.
Allow me to illustrate it this way. Suppose you put a lion inside of a cage with a lamb. Now, it’s pretty obvious what’s going to happen next. That lion is going to devour that lamb. But what if you trained the lion over a long period of time to change his appetite for the lamb?
And so you hire, of course, the world’s best lion handler. And he has this long history of taming the king of the jungle. He aptly introduces what’s called the taste aversion concept. In other words, the trainer places a toxin in the lamb’s meat so that any time he eats it, he gets sick. And over time, he’ll stop eating lambs.
But the question is, has the nature of the lion changed? No, of course not. In fact, the lion needs meat in order to survive. And what invariably happens without that source of sustenance? The lion gets sick and dies.
Now, that doesn’t sound like life transformation. That’s more like animal cruelty. And yet, this is often how we view our spiritual lives. All I need to do is change my desires. You know what I’m going to do? I’m going to attach a small device on my skin so that every time I lust after someone, I will have this immediate shock. That’ll do it, pastor. I have found the secret. Hallelujah.
Really? Have you? No, you just rewired your brain to the electrical impulses therein. I’d be willing to bet if you remove that shocking device, those same desires will come roaring back. And now you’re stuck with that same old pessimistic conventional wisdom. I’ll never change. I’ll never be a better person.
You see, considering the example of the lion and the lamb, the only way that these two animals can cohabitate together is, of course, one of their natures is changed. The lion must be turned into the lamb so that the lambs can now dwell together in peace and safety.
And the same goes for us. We must be transformed by the power of the gospel. You see, the power of the gospel is the power of God to save, but it’s also the power of God to sanctify. And finally, the power of God to glorify us, our new bodies, on that last day.
So, since that’s all true for the believer, why do we find ourselves using methods of transformation that seem rather short-lived and temporary? Well, I would submit to you, we live in a physical world, and it’s very hard for us to understand how the spiritual works. It’s counterintuitive.
But we will see some very clear Christian virtues here in Philemon’s house church. And what we have to ask is, how do they seem to be doing church so well? Was it according to their human effort, or was it by God’s power? Well, clearly the latter.
So if you’re taking note, write down the focus, our big idea:
Christian virtues arise not from human effort, but from the powerful working of God in and among the saints.
And we’re going to look at four virtues that we find in the text.
The first is the unity in the Spirit. It’s that bond that holds the church together. And it’s sealed by the grace and peace of Christ.
And then we’re going to see the love, which is the fruit of faith that grows from the tree of gratitude.
The third is this fellowship relationship. The gathering here is the soil from which the gospel matures the church in Christ.
And then lastly, it’s joy. Joy is the fountain that flows from the wellspring of God’s love poured out into our hearts.
So let’s look at the first.
1. Unity in the Spirit — The Bond That Holds the Church Together, Sealed with the Grace and Peace of Christ (Philemon 1–3)
Verses 1–3
Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother. To Philemon our beloved fellow worker, and Apphia our sister, and Archippus our fellow soldier, and the church in your house: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
We begin the letter to Philemon. Paul’s letter. Some important points to consider. Who is Philemon? Why is Paul compelled to write this letter to him?
Well, Philemon is understood to be somewhat wealthy. He’s a resident of the city of Colossae, for which we have the letter that Paul writes called Colossians. At some time, he writes this to Philemon around 60 to 62 AD. This is Paul’s first imprisonment in Rome.
So the apostle Paul is motivated to write this letter to his dear friend for one important reason. And what is that? All about the restoration, the reconciliation of a relationship. What relationship is that? Well, it’s Philemon and Onesimus.
You see, this Onesimus was Philemon’s slave, and it was not clear what happened, but highly likely that Onesimus wronged his master Philemon. He did a bad thing. And then he just took off. But something happened in Onesimus’ travels. He runs into the apostle Paul and is converted to the faith. You see, Onesimus was once useless, but he’s now useful—very much—to the apostle Paul.
So let’s ask this question. Say you are put in a position between two people you deeply care about. These could be two friends that are at odds with one another. You have the offended and the offender.
Now, most of us would immediately proceed to the process: “All right, guys, I’m sitting you down. We’re going to work this out. Let’s talk through it. Let’s make it right.” We want immediate results. But notice Paul’s approach to this process is quite different.
Remember, the relationships we have are not simply transactional. We don’t just plug in psychological formulas. Set up an intervention—okay, that’s fine. Or worse yet, make demands of either party. “Hey brothers, you are both Christians. You cannot be at odds with each other. You have to make this right. And I’m not going to leave this meeting until that happens.”
Yet again, notice the approach that Paul takes. Notice his posture. Does he use his authority? He could have said, “I am the apostle Paul. Listen up. I have the authority given to me by Christ Jesus himself.” No, he doesn’t use that title.
In fact, in most of Paul’s letters, he says “apostle,” but here it’s different. How so? Consider the word he uses to describe himself: a prisoner of Christ Jesus. Now that’s a very interesting way to do it.
In other words, Paul is declaring that the reason for my chains is Christ. That’s right—I’ve preached the gospel, and now I count it a privilege to suffer for the sake of the name of Christ. You see, Paul is held captive for Christ. The gospel is what drives him, and he’s willing to do whatever it takes to spread this glorious message of salvation.
Likely that Timothy’s with him, in support, but nonetheless, his first point is to describe who this dear brother Philemon is. He’s a beloved fellow worker. In other words:
“Philemon, you have the same cause as me. We are both in this together in chains for the gospel.”
Mine—although more physical—we are in this ministry together to advance the glory of Christ.
And Paul doesn’t view Philemon as somewhat below him. He doesn’t say, “Oh, I’m the apostle, and you’re just—what—the house… you own the house in which the church meets.” No, quite the opposite.
He puts him on par with him: a companion, a co-worker, a helper, a joint promoter for the kingdom of God among all peoples.
This point certainly is one that we can’t overemphasize as we consider the unity in the Spirit that we have in the church. It’s not the levels—the one class of Christians being better than the other. It’s all of us in this spiritual battle. And the more that we realize that we’re on the same team, the better we will be.
This is what holds the church together: our shared desire to make Christ known among all peoples.
You see, Paul does a great job at delineating all the different roles here within the house church. It’s not just the men. It’s also the women. It’s Apphia, who some propose may be Philemon’s wife.
It’s indeed a great reminder to go back to the beginning. What’s that? Yeah, Genesis. That we see it was not good for Adam to be alone. Why wasn’t it good? Was it because he was lonely? Because he needed a companion?
Well, it was more than that. It was about helping him with this great responsibility of overseeing the temple garden. Adam needed a woman to help him in his role as priest, prophet, and king.
What’s that? Yeah, that’s right. Just like Christ is the perfect priest, prophet, and king, so Adam was the imperfect version.
You see, Adam had dominion over the world. As the under-lord under the Lord of heaven and earth, he was the king, right? But he also had these priestly duties to care for the garden, to till the soil, to do the work of the ministry. But he was also a prophet. How’s that? He was the one who was to dispense God’s word to his bride, Eve.
Now, of course, Adam failed in all of these duties. He failed in his prophetic duties to tell Eve, don’t eat of that tree. He failed to crush the head of the serpent. Instead, he stood idly by and watched her sin, only then to partake in the same way she did, being led by her.
And so I think it’s fair to say that Paul said, in a bit of an extrapolated way here, is helping us to see a good reminder of the proper roles of husband and wife in the ministry of the home, in the church, in the world.
Still further, we’re reminded of the importance of another role within the church to maintain the unity of the Spirit. And that, of course, is here given as the teachers or the preachers. Why? Why is that so important?
Well, quite obviously, they’re not only proclaiming the truth of Christ; they’re also protecting the truth of Christ. And that’s who this Archippus is as a fellow soldier. It’s because soldiers are obviously going to battle.
You might not think of Sunday morning as a battleground, but surely it is. You might walk in and you sing a few songs and you listen to the word preached and you think, oh, that was nice. That was encouraging. But it is all-out war.
Where are the arrows? Where is the fighting? I don’t see it.
Well, it’s in the spiritual world.
If you could listen in to what’s happening in the mind of the preacher at times as he’s proclaiming the word, you’ll understand this a little bit better. The enemy loves to use this time to hurl insults and accusations:
“You’re not qualified to preach God’s word.”
“You should be doing something else that’s a lot easier.”
Spurgeon spoke much on this. I’m paraphrasing. Duncan shared this with me the other day. But ultimately he said the preacher can do nothing without the prayers of the saints. He’s ineffective. We need the prayers of the saints to go forward.
Why? Because it’s a war that’s going on in the spiritual realm. The forces of spiritual wickedness are waging war, not only against the preacher but against the people of God.
As I mentioned before, you may have noticed how easy it is to lose attention. Mind starts to wander. Suddenly a calm, a restfulness, almost a deep slumber overwhelms you. Why is that?
Well, perhaps the preacher is boring. But more likely the battle is raging—and you might be a little underprepared.
The Church’s Preparation, Spiritual Battle, and the Grace and Peace That Seal Our Fellowship
(Philemon 1:1–3)
This is why I sent out that message a couple weeks ago entitled, Worship Service Begins Saturday Night. It begins in your mind and your heart as you prepare to enter in to the assembly of the saints. It continues when you come a little bit early to prepare your heart to receive from the Lord, to pray for the preaching of the word and the singing of the word and the encouragement of the word.
The Reformers referred to this before the word is read or spoken—the prayer of illumination. An example, as one book puts it, is this:
“Guide us, O God, by Your Word and Spirit, that in Your light we may see light. In Your truth, find wisdom. In Your will, discover Your peace. Through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.”
These are not long prayers. These are short, simple, to the point, but greatly effective. Sadly, we often think that our prayers need to be long and drawn out, instead of praying the Word of God. This is the better way. These are the effective prayers.
And so not only does Paul address Philemon, his probable wife Apphia, but also the minister of the church, Archippus, as well as the whole church. You see that? You see how Paul is concerned with the whole church? Gender roles, teaching roles—all of the church matters. All of the church needs to hear the whole counsel of God’s Word. We need it all for our spiritual sustenance.
And we need to be reminded that the unity we have in the Spirit is the bond that holds the church together. It’s the bond that holds us all together in all of our different roles, serving Christ for the glory of God.
But this unity is also sealed with the grace and peace of Christ. See that in verse 3?
What are we as a church without grace and peace? Think about that for a moment.
Well, we’re quite unforgiving. We’re indifferent. We’re passive. We’re disjointed. All of these forces—the result of the working of the flesh, the devil, and the world.
We need the grace of Christ to keep us moving as a church. We need His helping favor, His guiding instruction, His powerful gospel that transforms our lives. Without grace, we’re simply relegated to strategies and programs and schemes and worldly methods to grow the church.
Now, I’m not saying that church just happens. We have no plan. We just show up on a Sunday and hope everything works out. No, of course not. We know that God is working all things out as we discover the riches that are ours in Christ from all of Scripture.
This is the wonder of the church that God has kept throughout all the ages. This is the wonder that the people of God from all backgrounds and tribes and tongues can come together and love each other. That is none other than the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
Unity in the church does not happen through force by its leaders—
“You better love each other. I’m watching you.”
It doesn’t happen by setting up interventions or reconciliation teams.
It happens supernaturally.
This is the glorious and powerful work that all points back to the bond that we have in Christ. That’s the powerful working of God, not only to bring us together, but to keep us together as one.
It’s a Christian virtue. It doesn’t come from human effort, but it’s the powerful working of God in and among the saints.
That’s the first point.
Unity in the Spirit is the bond that holds the church together, sealed by the grace and peace of Christ.
It’s knowing that this peace comes from having been reconciled to the Father. That’s why we can say God is our Father. He’s no longer our judge, our jury, our executioner. No, He’s our Father. He loves us.
So how do we respond to a loving Father? It’s awe, it’s respect, it’s reverential fear. It’s no more fear of judgment. Christ is Lord over the church. He’s got ownership of the church. He’s controlling the church, and His peace applied to our hearts should cause us to fear nothing because we have a blessed assurance.
Christ is Lord to the glory of God.
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2. Love Is the Fruit of Faith That Grows from the Tree of Gratitude
(Philemon 1:4–5)
Verse 4–5:
“I thank my God always when I remember you in my prayers, because I hear of your love and of the faith that you have toward the Lord Jesus and for all the saints.”
So Paul begins with his encouragement to not only Philemon but the whole church.
Brothers, there is unity here. There is a powerful working of God. Praise the Lord for His faithfulness to keep and maintain peace in the church.
And next, he now moves to a very personal word for Philemon. And it’s rooted in another very important relationship. What’s that? Yeah, it’s about Philemon’s relationship to the church.
On a personal note, I’m grateful that the Lord interrupted my regularly scheduled programming to get me sick.
“Really, Pastor? That’s a little odd.”
Well, allow me to explain what happens in your life when you go through it at too fast of a clip, of a pace. Well, it’s pretty obvious, right? Maybe just for me. It can be all about getting things done. You go from one thing to the next—okay, that’s done, check. Now what’s next, check. And that can take a toll on your heart.
What do I mean?
Well, you can forget to give thanks for all that the Lord is doing. You can forget to pause, to look around. You can forget to observe God’s faithfulness in the life of God’s people. You can focus on fixing problems instead of rejoicing in victories.
And that was what the time of being sick for me was. It was God’s faithful decree to push pause in my life.
“My son, look. Observe. Consider the family of faith here at The Rock. What do you see?”
Well, I see love and faith.
But how is that possible?
Well, Paul would say it grows from the tree of gratitude.
Seldom does love come from a heart that’s always complaining, never getting what it wants or deserves. It’s true that thankfulness first flows from the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Look what the Lord has done for you.
What He’s done.
What He’s done for you.
I praise God for what He’s done.
That’s funny, isn’t it? We don’t sing songs about what we must do.
Can you imagine if we sang:
“What I’ve done, what I’ve done.
I praise God for what I’ve done.”
That is silly, laughable, ridiculous.
But all of the love and the faith that we have comes from Christ. And it doesn’t just stay in our hearts. This is the best part.
You private Christians — I’m exposing you today.
No, of course not.
It flows back out of the heart into the saints.
You see, Paul heard about Philemon’s love and faith. It’s not clear who told him, but the news made its way to Paul’s ears. And what fitting response than thankfulness — on Paul’s part. But not thankfulness in some general sense — “attitude of gratitude.”
No—instead it’s a gratitude toward God.
Why?
Because it’s a work of God.
It is, in fact, the powerful working of God in and among the saints.
Maybe you haven’t taken a moment to think about that, but it’s still true.
As one commentator put it:
“Relationship, not occasion, puts people in our prayers.”
Interesting. Think about that for a moment.
Did you ever try to pray for someone you didn’t know?
Well, it’s hard. Why?
Because you don’t know them.
You don’t understand them.
And most importantly, it’s really hard to love someone you don’t know.
Now that doesn’t mean we don’t pray for the persecuted church, for believers, for unbelievers, for those in government, and so many ways of people we do not have personal relationships with. But it does mean that relationships are so vitally important in the life of the church.
It’s not transactional.
I know it’s easy as Americans to have transactional relationships.
But this is a lot deeper.
How can we pray for one another if we don’t know what we’re going through?
This is why we have small groups.
Yeah—so we can create an environment for safety and trust within the church.
It’s very hard, although possible because we’re a small church—let’s be real—it’s possible to build relationships on a Sunday morning, but small groups are much better in considering how we can go a little bit deeper.
So I would encourage you: consider it, pray about it.
It’s there that love can grow.
Love can grow from the fruit of faith, from the tree of gratitude.
It’s faith that says, “I trust the Lord Jesus will work powerfully in and among the saints as you commit to that, going a little bit deeper in relationship with one another.”
As the church grows, the needs of the saints will grow. And what better way to do that than in the context of the small group?
Give thanks to God, making mention of your brothers and sisters by name in your prayers. You’ll be amazed how the Lord uses your prayers as a means of grace to affect spiritual change in the lives of the dear saints.
And if that term saints is a bit odd to you, don’t let it. You simply—the saints are the people of God who’ve been set apart for a purpose. It’s not some process of becoming a saint, of being observed for your virtuous and holy living over a certain period of time for which then you will be venerated.
No, no, no, no.
It’s a declaration of God over your life.
It’s the fact that you have been selected by God, set apart by God, sealed by His Holy Spirit, and now under the influence of His Spirit.
You see, the great Comforter has come. He’s come to take residence in your soul, to enable you to obey all that Jesus has commanded you. And He’s given you that grace so that you will joyfully serve the Lord—not out of duty or obligation, but in delight.
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3. Fellowship Is the Soil from Which the Gospel Matures the Church in Christ
(Philemon 1:6)
Verse 6:
“And I pray that the sharing of your faith may become effective for the full knowledge of every good thing that is in us for the sake of Christ.”
Even though gardening season is many, many months away, what is the first thing you need to do to grow some healthy fruits and vegetables? Go ahead. It’s the soil. You need the good soil.
Even though New Jersey is the Garden State, there’s still preparation that needs to be done. You don’t just throw the seeds down, hoping for seedlings, hoping for the best. No. There’s a preparation. It’s time to remove all the thatch, all the overgrowth, then get to the soil — break it up, fallow, hard ground — turn it into something good that’ll produce fruit.
So you rake. You till. You even add some fresh soil, rich in nutrients. And it’s then and only then that you can begin the planting process.
What’s pretty clear from a biblical perspective is that the church is truly the church when it does life together. I know it’s popular in America to privatize your faith.
“It’s personal. It’s private. It’s just Jesus and I — Jesus and me. I spend time with Him every day. I get my teachings online. I don’t really need the church.”
But that’s obviously not part of God’s redemptive plan.
As one commentator put it:
“The Christian faith is not a private possession, assuming some passive role. No, it’s energetic through the daily living among human relationships.”
I’ve said it before:
The goal of the Christian life is an integration of what we believe into how we live.
If there’s a disconnect there, the result is hard soil and poor nutrients. Nothing can grow there.
Notice how Paul continues his discussion all related to the healthy, flourishing Christian relationships. This certainly is no mistake as he’s building up — notice, this is the build-up before the big ask happens. It’s coming next week. We’ll see it.
But again, if you’re ever in that position of reconciling two people, it’s no easy thing. The foundation’s gotta be built. It’s gotta be built upon trust and reinforcing the relationships that you have with both parties. You simply can’t ask for reconciliation. It’s gotta be cultivated. It’s got to be developed.
So Paul has a very specific prayer request that he’s bringing to the Lord on behalf of Philemon.
What is it?
What’s he referring to when he talks about “the sharing of your faith”?
Notice — at first glance, it would seem as though this is a charge for evangelism.
“Okay, Philemon, make sure that you are sharing your faith on a regular basis, but not only you — make sure it’s the whole church.”
We hear it a lot.
“Brother or sister, you need to be sharing your faith. You need to be telling others about Jesus.”
Yes, that is important. That is vitally important in the life of the church, that we do not remain confined to the four walls. It’s something that flows out of our lives as we seek opportunities to make Christ known.
But I would argue that there’s a little bit more to it than that.
After the careful study, this sharing of the faith has a lot to do with the sharing together of believers as to what we have in Christ.
What do we share?
Well, clearly we share a common salvation — that Christ died for our sins, that we have been purchased by God. And so the sharing of the faith, man, it’s a mutual participation among the saints.
This fellowship involves all the benefits that we have as a result of Christ’s death — that crucial piece of the gospel. Again, we’ve heard of the gospel. We’re talking about what God has done for us in Christ.
Do you get tired of hearing about the gospel?
It’s God’s gospel. And as such, He sets up the terms.
He is a holy God redeeming a people for His own possession. And the question is: How does a holy God have anything to do with a sinful people?
Enter the beauty and the wonder of the second person of the Trinity.
He became sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Christ.
It’s the only way.
There must be a sacrifice.
And it must be a man.
It had to be also a perfect man.
In eternity past, the Father and the Son arranged it together — this covenant of redemption: the Father would do the electing; the Son would bring in His people.
Remember this:
Without the resurrection of Christ, we’re still in our sins and the most pitied of all men.
The gospel is not about our response. It’s about what Christ has done for us.
The only way that a sinner can be saved is if the Holy Spirit does that supernatural work of regeneration. He turns that darkened, cold, hard soil of the heart into the fruitful soil of faith and repentance.
You see that?
Faith and repentance are the fruits of the gospel. They grow out of the fertile soil that is always contained in the fellowship of God’s people.
So does the church grow?
How do we grow?
“Pastor, how do we do this?”
Do we just send out trained evangelists who will encourage people to make decisions for Christ?
Do we need to start an Alpha class or a specially designed outreach program that will meet the felt needs of the people?
Or is it through another powerful institution created by the church?
I would submit: It’s through the local church.
God brings in the lost souls.
He equips those that are saved.
This is the power of the gospel.
It’s the power of God to save.
It’s the power of God to sanctify.
And it’s the power of God to glorify us on that last day.
New bodies, man. Anybody? Anybody?
So what part of that is what we have to do to be saved?
Well, it’s none.
Salvation is of the Lord, and we are the participants of this great grace.
So what happens as the saints gather together in the fertile soil of fellowship?
It’s quite clear what Paul says next:
It’s effective.
What’s that? Yeah, it’s active. It’s powerful. It’s the effectual working of the gospel in the hearts of God’s people.
What’s that look like?
It’s life change.
That’s right.
The gospel is the power unto life change. It’s what we all want. We want to be better spouses, parents, employees, friends, and so much more — but we miss it because we are seeking a means that God never intended.
The gospel is the very means for growth.
“Oh, pastor, I want to go deeper. I would rather study the Bible myself to unlock all the mysteries of God in Christ. I would like the meat, and it seems like you’re giving me the milk.”
And while Bible study and devotions are certainly important, the primary means — the gathering of the saints, the fellowship — together, we are sharing our faith together. We are mixing our lives together.
Sometimes it gets very messy.
Sometimes we’d rather just stay in isolation.
“I need a break. I’ll be back in a month.”
But it’s vitally important.
If we want to be effective in the working of the gospel in our own hearts, we’ve got to be committed to the fellowship with one another.
And yes, part of that is that we would be equipped to share the gospel with lost people — yes.
But the starting point is the gathering point.
It’s when we come together to receive what the Lord Jesus has for us according to what we’ve called many times the ordinary means of grace.
What are these good things that Paul talks about?
Simply put: It’s faith and love toward all the saints for the glory of Christ.
That’s why we gather. We do it for the glory of Christ, for the building up of the church. We do it to learn about what God expects from us. We can’t do this in isolation.
This faith must flow from our hearts to the lives of others. It’s a practical faith. It’s a faith that teaches us what is good and acceptable to the Lord. It’s every grace that God has produced in us to then flow from us.
It’s all the benefits that we share together in Christ.
What are those benefits?
Well, certainly forgiveness of all of our sins.
A right standing before a holy God.
Grace and peace in Christ.
A present inheritance and a future gain.
We become partakers of the kingdom of God. The Lord has set us apart to be part of something that no eye has seen, no ear has heard, no one can comprehend: the kingdom of God.
It’s our faith which works by love.
How else do we show that we love God than by the way that we love one another?
That’s why John tells us:
How can you love God whom you’ve not seen while yet not loving your brother whom you do see?
How does that work really?
Yet again, that love is not produced by human efforts or religious works.
It’s the powerful working of God in and among the saints.
The word “effective” that we see here is also used in Hebrews 4:12:
“The Word of God is what? Living and active…”
Sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing the division of soul and spirit, discerning all the thoughts of men.
Did you catch that?
The Word of God is active.
It’s effective.
It’s powerful.
It brings about transformation by the renewal of our minds.
How else could Paul say in 1 Corinthians 16:9 that “a wide and effective door for work has opened for me”?
It’s only effective as it’s the powerful working of God in and among the saints.
It’s not reserved for the super saints. It’s not the ones that have gotten it all together and have reached a higher plane of spiritual consciousness.
It’s for all of us working together.
Look down below. What do you see? There’s soil there. I know it looks like a carpet, but you’re standing on the soil of fellowship. That’s right.
And this is the soil through which maturity in Christ happens.
It’s every good thing in us. It’s been given to us through Christ by the Spirit.
So now we have these Christian virtues — this unity, this love, this fellowship.
And lastly, we have joy.
Here is the next completed section, continuing exactly where the transcript left off.
It remains 100% verbatim, only formatted, punctuated, and structured for clarity — no paraphrasing, no omissions, no additions.
4. Joy Is the Fountain That Flows from the Wellspring of God’s Love
(Philemon 1:7)
Verse 7:
“For I have derived much joy and comfort from your love, my brother, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you.”
Here we have the picture of a wellspring. It is defined as a bountiful source of something. And what better way to describe God’s love as an unending, limitless supply of all goodwill, affection, and benevolence.
See, God is good. He alone is good. He is the source of all goodness. And it would make sense that from this great wellspring of God’s love, all joy flows.
So do you think that’s what Paul’s referring to? To the love that Philemon has produced in his own heart? Or to the love that has flowed from God into his heart? Of course, it’s the love that’s in Philemon has its source from God. This kind of love is not produced, worked up, found after much soul searching. It’s a love that’s been poured out into our hearts by the Holy Spirit.
This is why, according to Romans 5, that our hope does not disappoint us. It’s the wellspring of love, of God’s love, never runs dry. And it always has an effect on anyone it touches. That love flows out of the fountain of joy. Not a trickle, not a steady stream, but a fountain.
What did Jesus say in John 7, verses 37 to 39? A familiar passage. Jesus says, if anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. And what’s going to happen? Out of his heart will flow rivers of living waters. It’s a promise of the Spirit, whoever put their faith and their trust in Christ. His Spirit flowing through us like fountains of living water, producing spiritual life in us, flowing out to others around us.
A fountain doesn’t just exist to flow to one person. “Man, that’s my fountain. Don’t be taken from my fountain.”
No, no, no. That’s a fountain for all of us. “Get in here. Give me some room here.”
This is why Paul is filled with joy and comfort. This word for comfort is refreshment. It’s what Simeon was waiting for, the consolation of Israel. He was waiting for the Messiah, the comforter. And it’s the wellspring of God’s love poured through the heart of Philemon that the Lord used him in refreshing the saints.
It’s an interesting phrase, isn’t it? “Times of refreshing from the presence of the Lord.” Acts 3 and verse 20.
What does that look like for the Lord to use us to comfort and refresh others? Well, it’s this idea of spiritual strengthening, of ease and safety. Philemon has opened his home for the church. It was an open door for the people of God to gather together in the presence of the Lord and to be refreshed by the Spirit.
The natural result of that is joy. Isn’t it a joyful thing for the people of God to gather together on the Lord’s day? To know that the presence of the Lord is with us when we sing, when we are in one accord and one voice? Do you sense the unity, the presence of the Lord? I know today I needed it and I felt it. He’s with us.
Yeah, the Lord is present with us at all places at all times, but there’s also a special presence when we gather together. It’s like nothing else. It can’t be produced online. I’m sorry, guys. I’m sure you can’t be here, but it’s okay. It can’t be produced online or done in a digital format. It’s a work of grace for all of us to enjoy so that our—as Jonathan Edwards referred to it—religious affections may be stirred. So that we would see Christ, that we would take comfort by his word, by the power of the Spirit, and be able to say together: What a joy. What a Savior.
This is our God. This is our God who promises all these wonderful things and reminds us that we can produce nothing of spiritual significance in our own strength.
Nothing?
Isn’t there something, Lord?
Nothing.
Wow.
It’s a work of God. It’s a grace of God. It’s a gift from the God of all comfort who comforts those who are fraught in affliction.
So if you want to refresh others spiritually, yeah, be refreshed yourself. What often can happen is our wellspring dries up. We start going through the motions. But what if every Sunday we prepared for our hearts for worship by praying, “Lord, refresh me so I can refresh others.”
You know what’s interesting? If you look up Proverbs 11, verse 25, in the NIV—you can use another translation—says, “A generous person will prosper,” and then he says, “Whoever refreshes others will be refreshed.”
Well, that’s interesting.
So in one sense, if you’re feeling dry, your cup is empty, maybe you need to somehow refresh others — to serve and support others — knowing that you will be refreshed in the process.
In any case, joy is the fountain that flows from the wellspring of God’s love poured out into our hearts in the saints.
Conclusion
So as we close, as we wrap up, we’ve talked about a number of Christian virtues here arising not out of human effort, but the powerful working of God in among the saints.
It’s unity.
It’s love.
It’s fellowship.
And joy.
This is the church. This is where God powerfully works.
As I’ve said, as you’ve heard it said in business and in life: it’s all about relationships.
Let’s be a church that continues to see the goodness of God working in unity, love, joy, fellowship.
Let’s not forsake the assembling of the saints, as is the habit of some.
And even better, small group ministry. Come on.
Let’s enjoy these benefits together in that context.
Closing Prayer
Lord, we all want to change. We all want to grow. We all want to be better. But you’ve reminded us today that this is not according to human effort. This is by your grace. This is by the powerful working of God by your Spirit.
And so as we come to you now, we confess that we lack faith. We lack trusting in your powerful working. And we try other methods and we scheme and we plan. But you simply want us to come to you and sit at your feet and rest in you and consider all that you’ve done for us.
The powerful working of God in the gospel of God, in the life of Christ, in the death of Christ, in the resurrection of Christ, in the reign of Christ, in the second coming. All for us, Lord. All for your people. All to encourage us to keep looking to you, to not grow weary in doing good.
You’ve promised it, Lord. You will strengthen us. You will supply the grace that we need. So we come to you now to confess that, but also to ask for your assurance. Assure us, Lord, that we have been given much in your gospel. It’s all of your work and nothing we contribute. We receive it by faith as we look to Christ with joy, love, fellowship, unity.
And we pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.
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