We all love to receive an encouraging note from a friend.

And on one page of the New Testament, we find a very personal letter from Paul to Philemon.

This brief note to a friend is full of doctrinal truth and practical help for us all.

Open your Bible and your heart today as we come to the book of Philemon.

Let's join Scott Pauli now as we study God's Word together.

The Apostle Paul tells us in his writings that the fruit of the spirit is love.

And then the list continues with joy, peace, long suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance.

Some people have suggested that the fruit of the spirit is love and that

every other thing listed after love is simply something that grows out of love because the fruit

of the spirit is the very nature of God in us and who is God. God is love. So every beautiful thing,

every blessed thing grows out of the love of God. I don't know a place in

scripture where that is seen any more plainly than in the little book of Philemon. The last time we

studied, we came to verse number nine where Paul begins to appeal to Philemon, to forgive and restore

and reconcile with Onesimus. And here's the great motivator. He says, for love's sake,

yet for love's sake, I rather beseech thee. So it's not based on mere human pity. It is based on the

divine love. Philemon was a believer. He was a man who had experienced the love of God.

He was a man who had received the love of God.

And now Paul is appealing to him to share that, pass it on.

In fact, in verse 5, Paul referenced this man's love and faith.

In verse 7, he referenced the consolation of his love. So it's obvious that

Philemon is a loving man, and yet at this juncture, he's dealing with a hard thing. You see,

I don't care how long you've been saved, how much of the love of God you've experienced, you're going

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