Love Is Always a Choice - a podcast by Lewis Marsh

Philemon

Week One: Love Is Always a Choice

By Louie Marsh, 3-6-2022

 

In Troubled Times…

 

1) I should REMEMBER my roots.

 

“1Paul, a prisoner for Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother, To Philemon our beloved fellow worker 2and Apphia our sister and Archippus our fellow soldier, and the church in your house: 3Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” (Philemon 1–3, ESV)

 

• Grace brings

 

“8For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,” (Ephesians 2:8, ESV)

 

• Grace gives me

 

2) I should THANK GOD for what He’s done.

 

“4I thank my God always when I remember you in my prayers, 5because I hear of your love and of the faith that you have toward the Lord Jesus and for all the saints, 6and 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. 7For I have derived much joy and comfort from your love, my brother, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you.” (Philemon 4–7, ESV)

 

3) I should strive to MEASURE UP to God’s Call.

 

“8Accordingly, though I am bold enough in Christ to command you to do what is required,” “9yet for love’s sake I prefer to appeal to you—(Philemon 8,9a, ESV)

 

• “required” = “to have arrived at, reached to, pertained to,” came to denote “what is due to a person, one’s duty, what is befitting.”

 

4) God calls me to GROW UP into His Will.

 

“18Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.” (Colossians 3:18, ESV)

 

“4Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving.” (Ephesians 5:4, ESV)

 

NOT ON OUTLINE:  “15Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ,” (Ephesians 4:15, ESV)

 

5) When I fail, He does not FORCE me.

 

“20And he said to him, “Teacher, all these I have kept from my youth.” 21And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” 22Disheartened by the saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.” (Mark 10:20–22, ESV)

 

6) God’s Love always give me a CHOICE & ACCOUNTABILIITY.

 

Two ways to move people forward:

• Force of Law

 

• Command of Love

 

“7Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. 8For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.” (Galatians 6:7–8, ESV)

 

“24Jesus, seeing that he had become sad, said, “How difficult it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!” (Luke 18:24, ESV)

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