Gashland Baptist Church Sermons
May 28, 2026 · 46 min · 8 segments
Peacemaking - A Sermon from Philemon 8-16 from Pastor Ryan Nix at Gashland Baptist Church on May 24th, 2026.
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This is the word of the Lord.So we enter in to this social destruction between Onesimus and Philemon, a relationship that is, is very foreign to us today, and praise the Lord for it, this relationship between master and slave.
And it's helpful to note a couple differences this morning between what the slave system looked like in the Roman era here in the New Testament and what we are more familiar with, the atrocities of the American slavery system.
So some of the, the, the major distinctions is the Roman system's not racially motivated.
Sometimes even individuals would sell themselves into slavery if they would find themselves in overwhelming debt.
In addition, slaves covered a wide variety of social position and roles and jobs, many serving even in government, in household positions, in leading roles.
Yet n- at the end of the day, it doesn't change the, the reality of what slavery was, the, the ruling of another man.
And, and in that system, you have the same kinds of atrocities that we're familiar with.
Many slaves are agricultural slaves, farmhands, quarry workers that would be worked often to death, or likewise, they have no legal, legal standing.
And Paul writes in a world that he can't change the social systems of, but he asks the question of when it is up to us, when the decision is in our hands, will we do what is loving and good and just? That's the question that Paul is giving Philemon throughout this whole letter.
"Philemon, it is up to you how you will receive Onesimus back, a runaway slave who by every right deserves to be punished in the eyes of the Roman law." And he asks Philemon the question, "Will you do what is loving and right and good, not what society expects you to?" And so our big idea this morning is this, that gospel-transformed Christians are called to do what is loving and good even when wronged or in unjust situations.
This is the word of the Lord.So we enter in to this social destruction between Onesimus and Philemon, a relationship that is, is very foreign to us today, and praise the Lord for it, this relationship between master and slave.
And it's helpful to note a couple differences this morning between what the slave system looked like in the Roman era here in the New Testament and what we are more familiar with, the atrocities of the American slavery system.
So some of the, the, the major distinctions is the Roman system's not racially motivated.
Sometimes even individuals would sell themselves into slavery if they would find themselves in overwhelming debt.
In addition, slaves covered a wide variety of social position and roles and jobs, many serving even in government, in household positions, in leading roles.
Yet n- at the end of the day, it doesn't change the, the reality of what slavery was, the, the ruling of another man.
And, and in that system, you have the same kinds of atrocities that we're familiar with.
Many slaves are agricultural slaves, farmhands, quarry workers that would be worked often to death, or likewise, they have no legal, legal standing.
And Paul writes in a world that he can't change the social systems of, but he asks the question of when it is up to us, when the decision is in our hands, will we do what is loving and good and just? That's the question that Paul is giving Philemon throughout this whole letter.
"Philemon, it is up to you how you will receive Onesimus back, a runaway slave who by every right deserves to be punished in the eyes of the Roman law." And he asks Philemon the question, "Will you do what is loving and right and good, not what society expects you to?" And so our big idea this morning is this, that gospel-transformed Christians are called to do what is loving and good even when wronged or in unjust situations.
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