Welcome to Day 2509 of Wisdom-Trek. Thank you for joining me. This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom Day 2509 – A God of Second Chances - A Study in Forgiveness - Philemon   Putnam Church Message – 11/17/2024 A God of Second Chances – A Study in Forgiveness Philemon 1:1-25 Last week, we finished Paul’s letter to the Colossians and learned about the importance of co-laborers in building God’s Kingdom. This week, we will learn the lessons from the letter to Philemon. Paul’s letter to Philemon has great practical value for us today. It illustrates for us the reality and importance of second chances,/ the equality believers have in Christ, /and the power of the gospel to transcend cultural and social boundaries./ In short, Paul’s postcard to Philemon reminds us about the profoundly Christ-centered concepts of freedom, forgiveness, mercy, and grace. This brief letter is the shortest of Paul’s writings—just twenty-five verses in our Bibles. But don’t let its size fool you. Although brief compared to Paul’s other New Testament letters, it contains a magnificent study of forgiveness. It is a warm appeal to Philemon, a slave owner, that he accept back into his household the runaway slave Onesimus, who had become a Christ follower because of Paul’s preaching. Just as Jesus Christ acts as the Advocate for Christians before God, Paul acted as Onesimus’s advocate before Philemon. Philemon is found on page 1860 of your Pew Bibles, and I will read it from the NLT. 1 This letter is from Paul, a prisoner for preaching the Good News about Christ Jesus, and from our brother Timothy. I am writing to Philemon, our beloved co-worker, 2 and to our sister Apphia, and to our fellow soldier Archippus, and to the church that meets in your[a] house. 3 May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace. 4 I always thank my God when I pray for you, Philemon, 5 because I keep hearing about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all of God’s people. 6 And I am praying that you will put into action the generosity that comes from your faith as you understand and experience all the good things we have in Christ. 7 Your love has given me much joy and comfort, my brother, for your kindness has often refreshed the hearts of God’s people. 8 That is why I am boldly asking a favor of you. I could demand it in the name of Christ because it is the right thing for you to do. 9 But because of our love, I prefer simply to ask you. Consider this as a request from me—Paul, an old man and now also a prisoner for the sake of Christ Jesus.[b] 10 I appeal to you to show kindness to my child, Onesimus. I became his father in the faith while...