Chains shall He break for the slave is our brother.
O Holy Night | Week 3
Adam Barnett preaches on JOY. "Chains shall He break for the slave is our brother."
MESSAGE NOTES
O Holy Night
Joy • December 10, 2023
Teacher: Adam Barnett
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Chains Shall He Break, for the Slave is Our Brother – Philemon
American Christianity is consumer focused. Therefore, it is me-focused.
Jesus is making things right - in all people, for all people, and between all people.
Chains shall he break, for the slave is our brother.
Philemon 1:1-16
1 Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother, To Philemon our dear friend and fellow worker—2 also to Apphia our sister and Archippus our fellow soldier—and to the church that meets in your home: 3 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 4 I always thank my God as I remember you in my prayers, 5 because I hear about your love for all his holy people and your faith in the Lord Jesus. 6 I pray that your partnership with us in the faith may be effective in deepening your understanding of every good thing we share for the sake of Christ. 7 Your love has given me great joy and encouragement, because you, brother, have refreshed the hearts of the Lord’s people. 8 Therefore, although in Christ I could be bold and order you to do what you ought to do, 9 yet I prefer to appeal to you on the basis of love. It is as none other than Paul—an old man and now also a prisoner of Christ Jesus— 10 that I appeal to you for my son Onesimus, who became my son while I was in chains. 11 Formerly he was useless to you, but now he has become useful both to you and to me. 12 I am sending him—who is my very heart—back to you. 13 I would have liked to keep him with me so that he could take your place in helping me while I am in chains for the gospel. 14 But I did not want to do anything without your consent, so that any favor you do would not seem forced but would be voluntary. 15 Perhaps the reason he was separated from you for a little while was that you might have him back forever— 16 no longer as a slave, but better than a slave, as a dear brother. He is very dear to me but even dearer to you, both as a fellow man and as a brother in the Lord.
Colossians 3:22
Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to win their favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord.
Colossians 4:1
Masters, provide your slaves with what is right and fair, because you know that you also have a Master in heaven.
Max Anders
“Slavery mocks Christian compassion and brotherhood. It assaults the biblical principle of equity before God. Through forced subjection and inhumane practices, slavery tramples on God’s creation. But rather than attacking social structures and relationships, Christianity works within the human conscience. In this way, a more thorough and lasting change occurs. When Christian ethics and cultural practices conflict, the Christian response is reformation of the heart and mind rather than revolution over social institutions.”
When the human heart is captured by love, truth, and compassion, social evils disappear.
What unjust rights or privileges do we enjoy that God calls us to renounce with acts of grace?
The incarnation breaks the chains of our captivity.