What if the deepest mark of a follower of Jesus isn't how loud they worship or how much they know, but how freely they forgive? In a culture that praises revenge and rewards holding a grudge, forgiveness is one of the rarest things you'll ever see.

This is the first message in a new verse-by-verse series called "Forgiveness" through the book of Philemon. Pastor Ron opens Paul's shortest letter, a 25-verse postcard written from a Roman prison cell, and lays the foundation for one of the most powerful pictures of forgiveness in all of Scripture. The big idea is simple: because we've been forgiven an unpayable debt by God, we are called to extend that same forgiveness to others.

The Writer:

Paul writes not as an apostle pulling rank, but as a prisoner of Christ Jesus, penning a personal letter to a dear friend during his first Roman imprisonment.

The Recipients:

Philemon, his wife Apphia, his son Archippus, and the church that meets in their home in Colossae receive grace and peace from a man who led Philemon to Christ years earlier in Ephesus.

The Reason:

A runaway slave named Onesimus stole from Philemon, fled a thousand miles to Rome, and crossed paths with Paul, who led him to Jesus. Now Paul is sending him back with this letter, asking Philemon to forgive.

The Heart of Forgiveness:

Jesus' parable in Matthew 18 of the unforgiving servant reminds us that if we've been forgiven an unpayable debt, who are we to withhold forgiveness from anyone?