“Follow the Fellows”
Philemon
I. Introduction:
A. Background of Philemon
1. Paul under house arrest, writes a personal letter to Philemon as a plea for Philemon to
forgive and resort Onesimus, Philemon’s runaway slave saved under Paul’s ministry.
2. Paul’s letter to Philemon reveals how we relate to God and fellow Christians.
B. Recap of last sermon (how we relate to God).
1. We relate to God as fellow prisoners (v. 1) laborers (v. 2) soldiers (v.2)
2. We relate to fellow believers by treating one another with familial love
3. The 12 Characteristics of familial love in Philemon
a) We are thankful for our fellow believers (v. 4)
b) We should pray for our fellow believers (v. 4)
c) We have faith in our fellow believers (v. 5, 21)
d) We fellowship with our fellow believers (v. 6)
e) We refresh our fellow believers (v. 7, 20)
f) We show humility to our fellow believers (v. 8-9)
g) We forgive our fellow believers (v. 10-17)
h) We are useful to our fellow believers (v. 11)
i) We are selfless with our fellow believers (v. 12-14)
j) We are impartial to our fellow believers (v. 16)
k) We are generous with our fellow believers (v. 18-19)
l) We are hospitable to our fellow believers (v. 22)
C. Segue to today
1. The 12 characteristics we looked at last week were not given as imperatives.
2. In Philemon, we see what familial love looks like not through Paul’s _____________
But rather by his _______________.
3. Today we will see the responsibility, reason, and result of “following the fellows.”
II. The responsibility of flowing our fellows
A. Paul ________________ us to follow his example
1. 1 Cor. 4:16, 11:1- “be __________________ of me”
2. Phil. 3:17 - “join in following my _________________”
B. We are to follow the example of _____________________
1. Fellow _____________________walking with the Lord
a) Phil. 3:17 - “17 - “ ____________________ those who walk . . .”
2. The faithful people who have gone _____________us.
a) Heb. 12:1 - “great cloud of ________________” (chapt. 11)
3. The _______________God has given us
a) Heb. 13:7 - “consider those who lead you . . . ____________________ their faith”
III. The reason for following our fellows
A. We can follow others because they are following _______________
1. 1 Cor. 11:1 - “be imitators of me just as I also am of _______________”
2. 1 Thes. 1:6 - “imitators of us and of the ________________”
B. Through following godly fellows, we see that Christ is the ____________
example to follow.
1. 1 John 2:6 - “walk in the ____________ _____________ as He walked”
2. Eph. 5:1 - “be imitators of ______________”
C. Christ’s example shows us how to ______________ as Paul showed in
Philemon (Eph. 5:2)
1. Christ modeled ___________________
a) John 3:15 - “I gave you an example (of washing feet)”
2. Christ modeled ___________________
a) 1 John 3:16 - “he laid down his life . . . we ought to lay down our lives.”
3. Christ modeled __________________
a) Phil. 2:3-5 - “have this attitude . . . which was also in Christ Jesus.”
IV. The result of following our fellows
A. As we follow Jesus and others, we ____________ examples to others
1. 1 Tim. 4:12 - “show yourself [as] an _____________________. . . “
2. Titus 2:7 - “show yourself to be an _____________________ . . .”
3. 1 Thes. 1:6-7 - ‘so that you became an ___________________ . . . “
V. Conclusion
A. Lessons from Philemon
1. Paul shows us an ________________love for his fellow christians
2. Paul’s love is merely a _________________ of God’s love for us!
3. By following his example, we ultimately will look to ______________!
B. What about you?
1. Are you learning from the example of godly people?
2. Are you looking at Jesus to be your ultimate example?
3. Are you setting a godly example for others?
*A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that
you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love
for one another.”
John 13:34-35