I was recently watching a movie that centered around the plot of the main characters searching for lost treasure that was worth billions of dollars. The movie followed a familiar blueprint with action scenes, intrigue, theft, and the loss of life. In fact, several of the main characters either took lives or lost their lives in pursuit of riches.
Admittedly, the storyline was exaggerated and not terribly plausible, but the underlying theme was completely commonplace. The majority of people living on this planet today and throughout history have spent the bulk of their lives trading the eternal for the temporary. Apart from the intervention of Christ, humanity remains locked in a cycle of short-term thinking that prioritizes short-term value and short-term results.
We think it's silly when we watch a movie where someone risks their life for gold, yet how often do we do the same exact thing for far less valuable treasures?
One of the blessings we experience as followers of Christ is the new perspective He grants us. The Holy Spirit opens our eyes to begin seeing things from an eternal perspective. He teaches us to view our experiences, opportunities, and relationships from that lens.
And that's the perspective the Apostle Paul emphasizes in Philemon 15-16. This passage shows us what it looks like when you develop an eternal perspective in the midst of a temporary world. It's a drastically different way to look at things.
I. There's a reason for everything
““For this perhaps is why he was parted from you for a while, that you might have him back forever,” ”
There have been a few seasons of my life that have stretched me and produced an unusual amount of stress in my life. One of those seasons occurred when I was in college. That was a time filled with an abnormal amount of work, very high expectations, and living circumstances that were sometimes less than ideal.
I remember at one point experiencing conflict with a roommate who had the opposite philosophy toward schooling. He would stay up late goofing around and I would get up early because I purposely scheduled my classes to begin at 8:00 am. In time, I started to grow frustrated with what felt like a lack of consideration on his part, and I remember praying to the Lord about it. In my prayers, I was reminded that the Lord has a purpose for everything, which certainly meant that He had a good purpose for my living situation as well.
I think one of the things the Lord was preparing me for was the fact that when you're sharing space with others, it's wise to remain flexible. I think He was also teaching me just how fruitless it was to stress over things I couldn't control.
When Onesimus escaped from slavery in Philemon's household, I'm sure Philemon was frustrated with what had taken place. In the culture of the time, people would often agree to serve as slaves in order to pay off debts. It's entirely possible that Onesimus was serving in a temporary position of servitude because he owed a debt to Philemon. If that was the case, Philemon would have been out the money he lent to Onesimus, and he would have been without the household help Onesimus had pledged to offer.
I don't know if this was the case, but if it was, you could certainly understand why Philemon would have been upset with Onesimus' decision to secretly leave. But Paul used the words of this passage to explain that there was a greater purpose for what had taken place. Onesimus was going to be returning as a changed man. He had become a Christian, just as Philemon had, and that would be a decision with eternal ramifications for both men.
Paul was trying to help Philemon see that there's a reason for everything, including things that don't seem terribly pleasant in the moment. God is sovereign. He is orchestrating His plan for the redemption of humanity and carrying it out with precision. It was His sovereign will that Onesimus would hear the gospel proclaimed by Paul and would come to an understanding of his need for Jesus Christ in his life. And as our faith in Christ matures, we should learn to look for these kinds of things that are clearly orchestrated by the Lord as He carries out His plan.
“The Lord of hosts has sworn: “As I have planned, so shall it be, and as I have purposed, so shall it stand,””
All throughout Scripture, God reveals that He has plans. He is not operating according to accident. Our God is orderly and purposeful by nature. Nothing escapes His sight, and He is actively directing human history toward His desired outcome.
And while this is true theologically, I think it takes faith for us to believe this is also the way God is functioning in our individual lives. I think it's easier to say God has a plan for humanity at large than it is to believe He is orchestrating a plan related to your individual life.
I don't know what you're dealing with right now, and I don't know what you've dealt with over the course of your life, but are you willing to believe there is a greater purpose for it? Are you living with the assurance that God is taking all things, including what others may have meant for your harm, and using it for your greater good?
II. There's a longer timetable thank we commonly consider
“ “For this perhaps is why he was parted from you for a while, that you might have him back forever,” ”
Notice the word "forever" in what Paul wrote to Philemon. That's a great word and it's a terrifying word, depending on how you look at it.
If our hearts are anchored in Christ and we have perfect peace about living in His presence for all eternity, then it's a glorious word. If we're distant from Christ and we aren't living with the assurance of life in His eternal presence, then the word is certainly dreadful because we will all experience the concept of "forever," yet our experience won't be the same.
How often have you felt overwhelmed with the trials you're dealing with in a given moment? It wouldn't surprise me to hear that there may have even been seasons of your life when suicide felt like a way out of that pain. Several close friends from my childhood made that unfortunate decision, and in each case I have found myself standing at their caskets asking the same question, "Why didn't they believe things would ever get better?"
There are times in life when our pain is so great that it's hard to think beyond it. There are seasons when it just doesn't seem possible that things will ever improve. But the honest truth is that for those who have placed their hope in Jesus Christ, we can learn to see our momentary pain from an eternal perspective.
From the perspective of eternity, you will actually be thankful for painful experiences you endured because it may be through those experiences that your faith was tested and became strong. It may be through those experiences that you learned to pray with complete dependence on the Lord because you had run out of any other options. It may be through painful experiences that you finally turned your life over to Him and stopped running from Him.
I recently read about the three huge gates that lead into the Cathedral of Milan. Over one gate there is an inscription in marble under a beautiful flower bouquet that says, “The things that please are temporary.” Over the second gate, there is a cross with this inscription: “The things that disturb us are temporary.” However, over the central gate, there is a big inscription saying, “Eternal are the important ones.” -https://bible.org/illustration/three-gates
The timetable that God is operating on is much longer than we commonly consider. Can I suggest a few things that I try to tell myself when I'm tempted to forget the concept of "forever" because I'm caught up in the trials of the moment?
1. You'll feel better if you get some extra sleep tonight.
2. In two weeks, this won't sting quite as severely and you'll have more clarity about it.
3. You have a perfect eternity to look forward to, so don't lose sight of it.
4. Jesus will not abandon you in the midst of this trial. He is with you always.
III. There are relationships that are meant to be everlasting
““no longer as a bondservant but more than a bondservant, as a beloved brother—especially to me, but how much more to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord.” ”
Have you ever thought about the cast of characters the Lord brings into and out of your life? When you were a child, who did you interact with on a daily basis? How many of those people are still part of your daily interactions? Fifteen years ago, who did you see and talk to regularly? Are they still strong friends, or have they become distant acquaintances at this point?
Friendships tend to change. Even family relationships change. Many people that I called "family" as a child are no longer living, or if they are, they don't live anywhere near me. Many people that I call family today weren't even born a decade ago, and some of my present-day family came into my life as an adult through my marriage to my wife.
I even think of this from a local church standpoint. People come and go from churches all the time. I recently read that the average stay for a lead pastor is less than five years and for a youth pastor it's less than three years. So if our friends, family, and church relationships keep changing so frequently, don't you think that might start impacting our perspective toward relationships in general? I think it can become easy to begin treating people from a temporary perspective instead of an eternal one.
Paul wanted Philemon to know that Onesimus may have left him as a hired hand, but he was returning as an eternal brother in the Lord. That's a helpful transformation for us to observe as well because it reflects the nature of our relationship with the Lord and with each other.
““No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.” ”
Jesus told His disciples that they were more than servants to Him, they were His friends. This is a lesson Philemon was being called to understand, and it's a lesson Christ wants us to understand as well. We've been graced with an eternal friendship with the Son of God.
““Here’s the lesson: Use your worldly resources to benefit others and make friends. Then, when your possessions are gone, they will welcome you to an eternal home.” ”
Likewise, Jesus taught that the way we interact with our brothers and sisters in Christ will reverberate into eternity. The people you bless with the time and resources the Lord entrusts to you in the present, are going to be the same people who welcome you into their eternal residences in Christ's everlasting kingdom.
We live in a world that doesn't really think like this, but we as believers can certainly learn to. It's a blessing to gain Christ's eternal perspective while living in this temporary world. It impacts the nature of our hope, the way we deal with trials, and the value we place on our relationships.
© John Stange, 2022
