# Philemon - The Book of Philemon

An episode of [Kids Bible in a Year with Julia Jeffress Sadler](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1696638708), 15 May 2024, 13 min.

Audio: https://podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/traffic.omny.fm/d/clips/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/f8ddd7fd-69c6-48d0-804f-b4d6010c327c/2b1579e1-e8b2-4a9e-8187-b4d6013bf170/audio.mp3?utm_source=Podcast&in_playlist=14e8ed60-20b2-4d5c-a832-b4d6010c3283

Join Julia Jeffress Sadler as she takes us on an incredible adventure in Episode 218. Sign up to receive Kids Bible in a Year devotionals in your inbox every weekday: https://www.kidsbibleinayear.com/ Get ready to experience the Bible designed specifically for children with the official KidsBibleinaYear.com podcast, led by Julia Jeffress Sadler. This captivating audio series presents the age-old wisdom of the Bible in an engaging format that will captivate your kids. Each episode Julia translates biblical teachings into real-life applications, making Bible comprehension a breeze for young minds. And if you want more Christian resources and content, you can download the Pray.com app. Pray.com is the digital destination for faith, offering over 5,000 daily prayers, meditations, bedtime Bible stories, and cinematic stories inspired by the Bible. For more resources on how to live a successful Christian life, visit Julia Jeffress Sadler's website at https://ptv.org/julia/. This episode is sponsored by Little Passports. Visit LittlePassports.com/blessed and use promo code BLESSED to receive 20% off. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

## Transcript

[0:00] Speaker 1: For we have much joy and comfort in your love,
[0:04] Speaker 1: because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you, brother.
[0:08] Speaker 1: Philemon 7 Dear God, we know that you are a
[0:13] Speaker 1: God of forgiveness, and just like you forgive us every day,
[0:17] Speaker 1: you want us to forgive each other. Help us to
[0:21] Speaker 1: love others the way you love us. Thank you for
[0:24] Speaker 1: the encouragement we find from Paul in today's story. Help us,
[0:29] Speaker 1: like Philemon, to refresh the hearts of the saints. In Jesus'
[0:34] Speaker 1: name I pray, amen.
[0:38] Speaker 2: Thank you for praying with us today. The Kids Bible
[0:41] Speaker 2: in a Year podcast is sponsored by Little Passports, delivering
[0:44] Speaker 2: monthly activity kit subscriptions that help kids explore the world,
[0:48] Speaker 2: cultivate curiosity, and discover new interests with hands-on crafts and
[0:53] Speaker 2: activities in cooking, science, crafts, and more. All with a
[0:57] Speaker 2: unique cultural twist. Visit littlepassports.com slash blessed to learn more
[1:02] Speaker 2: and save 20% with code blessed.
[1:11] Speaker 3: Philemon.
[1:12] Speaker 4: In our last story, after a harrowing journey, Paul finally
[1:16] Speaker 4: made it to Rome, where he remained under house arrest.
[1:20] Speaker 3: In this story, one of the many people he visited
[1:23] Speaker 3: with was Onesimus, a slave who had run away. Paul
[1:28] Speaker 3: will write a letter to his owner, Philemon, to accept
[1:31] Speaker 3: him back as a brother. This is a summary of
[1:35] Speaker 3: the letter Paul wrote, as inspired by Philemon.
[1:42] Speaker 1: Hey everyone, it's Julia Sadler here, and we are back
[1:46] Speaker 1: again for the Kids Bible in a Year podcast. Today
[1:49] Speaker 1: we get to look inside of Paul's prison in Rome
[1:53] Speaker 1: and look over his shoulder as he writes a very
[1:57] Speaker 1: important letter. It's to a man named Philemon and packed
[2:02] Speaker 1: full of truth and wisdom. Listen and see.
[2:09] Speaker 4: Dear Philemon, I hope you are doing well. It has
[2:13] Speaker 4: been far too long since I have seen you. You
[2:15] Speaker 4: will have to tell me how the family is doing
[2:17] Speaker 4: in your replies. May God's peace find you and bless
[2:21] Speaker 4: you as well as the church that meets in your home.
[2:24] Speaker 4: I pray for you all regularly, that you are in
[2:27] Speaker 4: good health and that many new believers come from your ministry.
[2:31] Speaker 4: I thank God for the love you share, not only
[2:34] Speaker 4: for God or for me, but for all believers. You
[2:38] Speaker 4: know that I often do not hesitate in stating what
[2:40] Speaker 4: is right and what is wrong. My world tends to
[2:43] Speaker 4: be black and white and I tell it like it is.
[2:46] Speaker 4: If someone is lacking in their commitment to Christ, I
[2:49] Speaker 4: quickly come around and help them to return to where
[2:51] Speaker 4: they should be. This letter is a little different. I
[2:55] Speaker 4: am here to beg you. As you know, I have
[2:58] Speaker 4: been imprisoned for my faith and preaching, preaching that has
[3:02] Speaker 4: greatly influenced your own life. While I have been here,
[3:06] Speaker 4: I have been in a state of weakness, unable to
[3:08] Speaker 4: do what I once did. Yet I turned to God
[3:11] Speaker 4: and He provided. This time in my life, He provided
[3:14] Speaker 4: me a man named Onesimus, the man that delivered this
[3:18] Speaker 4: letter to you, and the man that you have a
[3:20] Speaker 4: past with. I am sorry for the pain and grief
[3:23] Speaker 4: he brought upon you. When God brought him to me,
[3:26] Speaker 4: he was still a sinner, but in time he has
[3:29] Speaker 4: come to know Jesus Christ. Since the time that he
[3:32] Speaker 4: has come to know Christ, he has been extremely helpful.
[3:35] Speaker 4: As I am bound to stay in prison, having a
[3:38] Speaker 4: friend that can travel and deliver messages around the area
[3:41] Speaker 4: has been extremely helpful. I honestly could not have gotten.
[3:45] Speaker 3: By without him.
[3:46] Speaker 4: I will likely struggle without him, but nevertheless, we believe
[3:50] Speaker 4: it is time for him to return to you. He
[3:53] Speaker 4: has been helping me like none other. I have yet
[3:55] Speaker 4: to see any other brother jump to help like he has.
[3:59] Speaker 4: Not even you, when I was with you. I understand
[4:02] Speaker 4: that he left you. But when he left you, he
[4:05] Speaker 4: was but a worthless slave. Yet through the grace of God,
[4:09] Speaker 4: he is no longer a worthless slave, but he is
[4:11] Speaker 4: a great and wonderful brother. That is how he has
[4:15] Speaker 4: been returned to you as a brother, and I hope
[4:18] Speaker 4: you see him as such. Brother, not slave. He told
[4:22] Speaker 4: me in due time that he stole from you in
[4:24] Speaker 4: his old life. He is a new person now, but
[4:27] Speaker 4: I understand the loss. To those things I ask that
[4:31] Speaker 4: you pass that debt on to me. Charge it to
[4:34] Speaker 4: my person, my account, not his. I, Paul.
[4:37] Speaker 2: Will repay it.
[4:39] Speaker 4: It is written there with my own hand. I will
[4:42] Speaker 4: not bring up that you owe me your life. I
[4:45] Speaker 4: ask that you treat him as you would treat me,
[4:49] Speaker 4: for he has been a wonderful brother to me and
[4:51] Speaker 4: will be to you as well. Send someone with a
[4:54] Speaker 4: letter in response, letting me know that you have received him,
[4:58] Speaker 4: and I will be able to rest easy should this
[5:00] Speaker 4: trial not go as planned. Of course, I know you.
[5:04] Speaker 4: I know your heart. You will do all that I
[5:06] Speaker 4: ask and more, and I should have no fear that
[5:09] Speaker 4: you will do anything less. Even more so, I would
[5:14] Speaker 4: ask that you prepare your guest room, for I know
[5:16] Speaker 4: you pray for this trial along with everyone else. Should
[5:20] Speaker 4: I be released, I will be visiting you, my dear
[5:23] Speaker 4: friend Philemon. Greet the church there for me. I miss
[5:27] Speaker 4: them all. Grace and peace of Jesus Christ be with you.
[5:32] Speaker 1: Paul Okay, before we dive in, we have to ask
[5:41] Speaker 1: the question, who exactly is Philemon? Who is this guy?
[5:47] Speaker 1: Philemon was a wealthy man who heard Paul preach one
[5:50] Speaker 1: day near his home in Colossae. He accepted Christ, became
[5:56] Speaker 1: a Christian, and started a church in his home where
[6:00] Speaker 1: many would meet regularly. Philemon had a servant named Onesimus
[6:05] Speaker 1: who stole from him and ran away to Rome. Of course,
[6:09] Speaker 1: Philemon was not too happy about it. While in Rome,
[6:13] Speaker 1: as God would have it, Onesimus heard the message Paul
[6:17] Speaker 1: was preaching and became a Christian himself. As he grew
[6:21] Speaker 1: in his faith, he spent more and more time around Paul.
[6:25] Speaker 1: Since Paul was in prison, Onesimus became a big helper
[6:29] Speaker 1: to him, delivering letters, messages, and getting him anything he needed.
[6:34] Speaker 1: But there was just one thing. Paul knew that because
[6:38] Speaker 1: of what Onesimus had done to Philemon, he would need
[6:42] Speaker 1: to go back and make things right. He would need
[6:45] Speaker 1: to ask for forgiveness. As much as Paul loved to
[6:49] Speaker 1: help and loved the companionship of Onesimus, Paul knew that
[6:55] Speaker 1: these two men had a broken relationship. And he also
[6:59] Speaker 1: knew that because they both had the Holy Spirit in them,
[7:02] Speaker 1: God could heal it. Since Paul knew that Philemon might
[7:06] Speaker 1: still be angry and probably unwilling to take back the
[7:10] Speaker 1: slave who stole from him, he sent a letter telling
[7:14] Speaker 1: him what happened to Onesimus and how he was a
[7:18] Speaker 1: changed man. He asked him to receive Onesimus and take
[7:22] Speaker 1: him back. Really, he asked him for forgiveness. And that
[7:28] Speaker 1: letter is the book of Philemon in your Bible. Did
[7:32] Speaker 1: you notice something? Paul opens the letter calling himself a
[7:37] Speaker 1: prisoner of the Lord Jesus Christ. But wait, wasn't he
[7:42] Speaker 1: a prisoner of Rome? Not according to Paul. He was
[7:46] Speaker 1: chained to only one person, and that was Jesus. But
[7:50] Speaker 1: these weren't actual chains. In other words, he was saying,
[7:55] Speaker 1: I am here not because of these chains and guards
[7:58] Speaker 1: and prisons, But because this is where God told me
[8:02] Speaker 1: to go, and wherever God tells me to go, I go.
[8:07] Speaker 1: Because I am never leaving him. I want to be
[8:09] Speaker 1: chained to Jesus, just like Paul. As we can tell
[8:14] Speaker 1: from the beginning of the letter, Paul thinks very highly
[8:17] Speaker 1: of Philemon. He says that he prays for him often
[8:21] Speaker 1: and that Philemon refreshes the hearts of the saints. And
[8:25] Speaker 1: his love gives Paul much joy and comfort. We can tell.
[8:29] Speaker 1: They already had a friendship because of the way Paul
[8:32] Speaker 1: was talking to him. And by the way, when you
[8:35] Speaker 1: need to ask someone for something big, it's best if
[8:40] Speaker 1: you first have a friendship. That way you know each
[8:43] Speaker 1: other and trust each other. You have a foundation underneath
[8:48] Speaker 1: that's already built. Paul tells Philemon he is begging him
[8:52] Speaker 1: for something. Philemon must have sat up in his chair
[8:56] Speaker 1: a little straighter at that point. What does Paul want
[9:00] Speaker 1: from me? He reminds Philemon that he is in prison
[9:04] Speaker 1: because of his faith, and he's feeling pretty weak and limited.
[9:08] Speaker 1: He shares how God brought him Onesimus as a sinner,
[9:12] Speaker 1: but how he came to Christ and turned his life around.
[9:17] Speaker 1: He shares all he's done to help Paul, a true
[9:20] Speaker 1: servant and friend. He then asks Philemon to accept Onesimus
[9:25] Speaker 1: back into his life. This time, not as a dishonest slave,
[9:30] Speaker 1: but as a brother in Christ. Then Paul says something
[9:35] Speaker 1: so important and wise. He tells Philemon in verse 15
[9:39] Speaker 1: and 16, In other words, Maybe all this happened so
[9:56] Speaker 1: that Onesimus would go to Rome, find Paul, and meet Jesus. Wow.
[10:02] Speaker 1: To top it off, Paul offers to pay back everything
[10:06] Speaker 1: Onesimus stole. He asks him to write back and hopes
[10:10] Speaker 1: to hear from him before he goes to trial. Oh,
[10:13] Speaker 1: and he adds a P.S., Get my bed ready because
[10:17] Speaker 1: I'm coming to visit and stay with you after this
[10:20] Speaker 1: mess is over. The Bible doesn't tell us what Philemon
[10:24] Speaker 1: did after receiving Paul's letter. But since this letter was
[10:27] Speaker 1: saved for so many years and we read it in
[10:30] Speaker 1: our Bibles today, many people think that he did forgive
[10:34] Speaker 1: Onesimus and take him back. Some even think that he
[10:38] Speaker 1: sent Onesimus back to Paul to help him again. The
[10:42] Speaker 1: Bible also doesn't tell us what happened when Paul finally
[10:45] Speaker 1: stood before Caesar. We're not even sure how he died,
[10:49] Speaker 1: although many believe he was martyred for his faith, like
[10:53] Speaker 1: so many before. Can you imagine the cheers in heaven
[10:57] Speaker 1: when Paul arrived? Speaking of heaven, we are diving into
[11:02] Speaker 1: the book of Revelation for our final two episodes, so
[11:06] Speaker 1: don't miss it. John is going to give us a
[11:08] Speaker 1: sneak peek into the end of the world, for real.
[11:13] Speaker 1: The Bible's the best story ever told. It's God's story
[11:17] Speaker 1: to you, and it's all true. Love these Bible stories?
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