As we study through the Book of Philemon and continue this series of messages on Reasons to be Thankful, if you were here last week, you will recognize that the verses I will share today are the same verses we shared last week.
“1 Paul, a prisoner of Jesus Christ, and Timothy our brother, unto Philemon our dearly beloved, and fellowlabourer, 2 And to our beloved Apphia, and Archippus our fellowsoldier, and to the church in thy house: 3 Grace to you, and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 4 I thank my God, making mention of thee always in my prayers, 5 Hearing of thy love and faith, which thou hast toward the Lord Jesus, and toward all saints; 6 That the communication of thy faith may become effectual by the acknowledging of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus. 7 For we have great joy and consolation in thy love, because the bowels of the saints are refreshed by thee, brother.”
As we look at this small book of Philemon, you will notice a plethora of names.
Onesimus – a man that has obviously done something wrong and is now imprisoned.
Paul – a man who wrote 13 books of the New Testament, to include this book. A man who once persecuted Christians but was glorious saved on the road to Damascus. Now Paul himself is in prison with a divine purpose.
Timothy – who is Paul’s son in the faith.
Apphia – who some believe is the wife of this man Philemon.
Archipphus – who some believe is the son of Apphia and Philemon. Whether or not that is true, we simply do not know. However, what we do know is that he was a “fellow soldier” of Paul’s.
Philemon – a man of means. A man who opened his home up to have THE church in his house.
Epaphras – who is mentioned both here and in Colossians 4. Paul refers to him as a “fellow prisoner” a “fellow servant.”
Marcus – who early on in Paul’s ministry turned his back on Paul. That caused a split between Paul and Barnabas who went their separate ways in the ministry, with Mark going with Barnabas. This is the same Mark that would write Mark’s Gospel. A man Paul would later speak of someone that was profitable for the ministry.
Aristarchus – A Macedonian who lived in the capital city of Thessalonica and probably converted to Christianity during Paul’s 3rd missionary journey when he answered the “Macedonian Call.” Aristarchus was a close companion to Paul.
Demas – who we know would forsake Paul in the ministry. When the going got tough – Demas got going!
And finally Lucas – This is the author of Luke’s Gospel. A learned man, in fact he was a doctor.
And so, Paul addresses this group assembled together, possibly in Colosse, in the home of Philemon, and he is about to give them a Gift Basket. Listen to what he says in verse 3:
“Grace to you.” Now there is a lot I could say about that, but what I am going to say is this, – if it wasn’t for GRACE, none of us would be here this morning.
Paul begins this message by saying “Grace to you” and in verse 25 he is going to end this letter by saying “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.”
“Grace to you AND Peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” I’m glad this morning I can have peace that only comes from a relationship with God the Father through His Son Jesus Christ.
- I know a peace that doesn’t come from the bottom of a bottle.
- I know a peace that can’t come from using drugs.
- I know a peace that you can’t find in people.
But I’m telling you, there is a peace that only God can give. I’m glad I serve the God of peace!
When I was 17 years old, I walked into an Army recruiter’s office and told them I wanted to do the toughest job in the Army. That recruiter, seeing my scorny butt said, “Son, no you don’t.” But I was adamant that I was going to transform the world and I was convinced the Army was the way to do it. From that point on, for the next 14 years, I would rise to become a Platoon Sergeant in one of the most renowned units in the Army. You see, I really wanted to transform the world.
I had some goals when I joined:
- First, I want structure in my life.
- Second, I wanted to challenge myself to see if I really had what it took.
When the going got tough, I wanted to know if I was tough enough – if I was good enough. I wanted to know how I was going to react in life-or-death situations.
In December of 1989, my unit was sent to Panama in advance of an Airborne Assault to take place on December 20th in invade Panama and kill or capture Manuel Noriega for crimes against his people and ours. My platoons’ particular mission was to seize a main supply point for the Panamanian Defense Force.
Just hours before Operation Just Cause began, my unit commander, Col (Ret.). Chuck Dyer, got our company together, and I will never forget the words he said to us.
He said, “Men, in 4 hours, we will begin Operation Just Cause. This one is for real. So look to your left and your right and remember the faces of your battle buddies, some of them may not be with us this time tomorrow.”
- I remember leaving that meeting and thinking to myself:
- I wonder if there is anything I left undone?
- I wonder if there is anything I’ve left unsaid?
- I wonder if my kids, who were just kids at the time, I wonder if they know how much I love them?
For the next few hours, as everyone was preparing for the mission, it was a very quiet time. Everyone seemed to be in their own space, dealing with their own thoughts and emotions.
One guy, Alan Spencer, was silently walking around snapping photos of people – as his way of recording the moment. This next slide happens to be a photo he took of me reading a book, keeping to myself.
As H-Hour approached, we all grabbed our gear and silently moved to the airfield at Fort Sherman, Panama to load Assault Helicopters to begin the combat operations, at midnight on December 20th, 1989.
On the helicopter, while flying to our objective, we could see fire-fights happening all over the place. We began taking small arms fire from the ground and, like time had temporarily stood still, I remember looking at everyone on my aircraft and I could visibly see the fear on people’s faces. As we approached our hot LZ, which means we were under heavy enemy fire, that fear intensified in them, and in me. I remember saying to myself internally, “Joe, these guys need to know that you have what it takes to lead them into combat. Because at this point, NOT leading is NOT an option.”
I began to pray, and I said, “God, I’m pretty sure, me or some of my men will die here tonight.” And of all the times, I began to think about Jesus when He was praying in the Garden of Gethsemane, and he Prayed “Father, if there is anyway this cup can pass from me. Nevertheless, not my will but thy will be done.” And from that point, Jesus got up off His knees and willing gave himself over to the enemy to be crucified so that your sin and my sin could be dealt with once and for all. It is the gift of God.
And as I prayed on that helicopter, “Father not my will but thine.” I can’t explain to you what happened, but from the moment that I was convinced me or some of my men may die that night, God dealt with that fear, and for the next 72 hours, as we went from one intense mission to another, I had no worries about what we would face because I realized my life was in His hands and all I had to do was trust Him with it.
What I realized in that moment, was that if I survived this mission, I was going to go home and be with my family, with my wife and kids back in Fayetteville, North Carolina. But if I didn’t, before my body could hit the ground in the jungles of Panama, my soul would be in the presence of Almighty God. Whether I go home to my family in Fayetteville or I go home to my Father in Heaven, either way, I cannot lose because of what my Lord and Savior did on Calvary’s Cross.
One month after our mission began in Panama, we were at the airfield in Panama City waiting for flight home. Some of the toughest men in our nation were sitting there, some with tears in their eyes. A few of them came up to me and asked me what would happen to some of our men that didn’t make it home. They asked me what would happen to them if they wouldn’t make it home? These men said that in the thickest of battle, when the bullets were flying, they could see something different about me. And they wanted to know what it was. And all I could say to them then, and all I can say to you now, “Not I, but Christ that liveth in me.”
And it was at that very moment in my life that I knew God had something different instore for my life other than kicking in doors and slinging lead with the enemies of our country.
And for the better part of the past 30 years, I have been pastoring churches and trying to lead people to Christ. You see, when I joined the Army, I thought I could transform the world through military strength. But I realized in the Jungles of Panama in 1989 that there is only one force great enough to transform the world, and it is the Holy Spirit of God living through His chosen people.
So, I am thankful for the gift basket of “Grace and Peace from God the Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.”
I realize this morning that everyone of us here came from different backgrounds and different upbringings, and we all have different goals and aspirations, but by God’s divine province, we are here together in this little tin building in the woods of Pauline. And my only challenge to you this morning, is that when you leave this building today, don’t leave here ORDINARY. My challenge is that you leave here with a real, personal relationship with the God who loved you so much that He gave His only Son to die for you. My challenge is that you live your life in such a way that people see there is something different about your life. My challenge to us as a church is that we “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”
Folks, I don’t know what the future holds, but I know who holds the future and I’m going to put my future in His hands!
Fighting for My Pea Patch 