So, in Philemon chapter 1 and verse 3, as where I'll begin reading this morning, it
says,
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
I thank my God, making mention of thee always in my prayers,
hearing of thy love and faith which thou hast toward the Lord Jesus and toward all saints,
that the communication of thy faith may become effectual in the acknowledging of every good
thing which is in you in Christ Jesus.
For we have great joy and consolation in thy love, because the bowels of the saints
are refreshed by thee, brother.
And what I want to preach to you about this morning is having an effectual faith.
That's Paul's prayer here to Philemon.
When he wrote him, he said that he prayed that the communication of thy faith may become
effectual by the acknowledging of every good thing.
That was Paul's desire for Philemon.
I believe that's Paul's desire for all the Christians that he spoke to, everybody that
he knew.
And that is the desire that we should all have for one another.
That's the desire that we should have for ourselves, that we would not only have a faith
that has saved us, but that we would actually have a faith that is effectual, a faith that
has an effect.
That's what effectual means.
It means successful in producing a desired or intended result, meaning effective.
So effectual is really just our modern day word, effective.
So an effectual faith, the faith that Paul is praying here for Philemon, is an effective
faith.
We see that effectual is something that is associated with action.
It's not an idle faith, it's not a dead faith, but it's a faith that actually gets something
done.
We see that throughout the scripture, that word effectual is used in that manner.
If you would, go over to Ephesians chapter 3, keep something in Philemon, but go to Ephesians
chapter 3.
To have an effectual faith is to have a faith that works, to have a faith that reaches beyond
just within ourselves, beyond just our own personal salvation, but actually works in
our lives.
The Bible says in 1 Corinthians chapter 16, for a great door and effectual is open unto
me, and there are many adversaries.
So Paul there, of course, is talking about the fact that there was a door open to him,
there was an opportunity to get some work done, there was an opportunity to do a work
for the Lord, and he called that door that was open to him an effectual door.
Look there in Ephesians chapter 3 verse 7, it says, Whereof I am made a minister according
to the gift of the grace of God given unto me by the effectual working of his power.
God's working in Paul's life was not just any ordinary working, it was effectual, it
was a work that got something done, it had an effect on his life.
If you would, go over to James chapter 5, we're just looking at that word effectual
this morning, it's a very important word.
That was what Paul prayed for Philemon, he desired that he would have an effectual faith.
You're there and go over to James, I'll read to you again from Ephesians, it says, But
speaking the truth and love may grow up in him into all things, which is the head, even
Christ, from whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every
joint supplieth according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh
increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.
So often we've looked at so many of these verses so far, and we have seen that effectual
and working, effectual and working, these are things that are going together.
To be effective, to be effectual is to get something done.
Look here in James chapter 5 verse 16, he said in verse 16, Confess your faults one
to another, and pray for one another that you may be healed.
The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.
Look, when something's effectual, it's effective, it gets something done, it avails much.
And Paul's desire is that their faith, that Philemon's faith and the faith of all those
that he preached to, is that they would have an effective faith.
He said in Philemon, if you would go back there in verse 4, I thank my God, making mention
of the always in my prayers, that the communication of thy faith may become effectual.
You know, Paul is praying here that their faith would be as his faith was.
If there was ever one that had an effectual faith, it was the apostle Paul.
And we don't need him to tell us that, we can just look at his life and see all the
things that he did, all the work that he did, the sacrifices that he made, and we can say
that man had an effectual faith.
Some people have faith, but we have to ask ourselves, is it effectual?
Is it getting something done for the Lord?
First Thessalonians chapter 1, Paul said in verse 5, For the gospel came not unto you
in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance, as ye know
what manner of men we were among you for your sake.
Paul saying there, look, we came to you in a certain manner, you know how we were, and
the way that they were, when they preached the word, is they came with power in the Holy
Ghost.
Paul is a man who had very effectual faith.
Now what is the purpose of having an effectual faith?
What is Paul's purpose here?
Is it just to, you know, just to benefit himself?
No, Paul's effect of faith is something that benefited others.
And that's the type of faith we should want to have this morning, a faith that's going
to benefit other people.
Well first of all we could say it was effective because he says there in Philemon chapter
1, he said in verse 3, he said, Grace be to you and peace from God our Father and the
Lord Jesus Christ.
I thank my God, making mention of the always in my prayers, hearing of thy love and thy
faith which thou hast, toward the Lord Jesus.
I would say that that faith that he had toward the Lord Jesus was not to benefit the Lord
Jesus, but when you had that faith toward the Lord Jesus, it was an effective faith
towards others.
If you'll follow with me here, he says there that his faith was, his faith was, his love
and his faith was toward the Lord Jesus and toward all saints.
What does it mean to have that faith toward the Lord Jesus?
I believe that if we had the faith toward the Lord Jesus, not just believing in him,
not just believing on him for salvation, believing in his death-grown resurrection, but if we
had faith toward the Lord Jesus, an effective faith towards him, an effectual faith, then
we would share in the work that Jesus did.
And what was Jesus' work?
What was it all wrapped up in, in one word, others?
The Lord Jesus was all about everybody else.
He came here to seek and to save the lost, and he was effectual at it, and that's exactly
what he did.
And Paul's saying here to Philemon, he's heard of thy faith, he's heard of his love that
was toward the Lord Jesus.
I believe if you were to look at Philemon's faith, you'd see a man who cared about other
people that sought the lost.
He also had a faith that was toward not only the Lord Jesus, but all saints.
This is really what I want to kind of focus in on this morning, because this is a very
important thing for us to understand in the local church, is that not only do we have
to have, we're very good in our church, in churches like this, about having an effective
faith towards others.
We're very good about going out on a regular basis and knocking doors with a tear in the
eye and the Bible in the hand and trying to preach the gospel to those that will listen
and bring them to a saving knowledge of Christ.
We're very good at that.
But sometimes I wonder if we lack a little bit if we have a faith towards all saints.
Not just the unsaved.
That's a big part of it.
The Lord Jesus, then that was what he was all about.
We also have to have that faith toward all saints.
We should have an effective faith towards the saints as well.
If you would, go over to 1 Peter chapter 3, 1 Peter chapter 3.
While you're going there, I just want to read you some verses, and I want you to listen
to these verses.
These are very important verses.
It's all throughout the Bible and all throughout the New Testament that we ought to have a
faith towards all saints.
That we should have faith and love.
Not just toward the Lord Jesus, but toward all saints.
He says in Galatians 6,
Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.
You want to fulfill the law of Christ?
You want to do God's will this morning?
Then we need to learn to bear one another's burdens.
Not just our own burdens, not just the things that we have to get done, not just the trials
and temptations that we go through.
So we as the saints, as the body of Christ, should also be there to see one another through
life's trying times, which are sure to come to every one of us.
The Bible says in Romans chapter 13,
O know man anything but to love one another, for he that loveth another hath fulfilled
the law.
Fulfill the law of Christ, fulfill the law, and love one another, bear one another's burdens.
Galatians chapter 5, Paul wrote,
For brethren, ye have been called unto liberty, only use not liberty for an occasion to the
flesh, but by love serve one another.
Yes, we should have a love and a faith toward others, we should go out there and reach them,
but let's not forget to bring that same love and that same faith inside the church house
and express that toward one another.
And bear one another's burdens and serve one another, it says right there.
That takes humility.
We have to be reminded of that.
That church just isn't here for us.
That it's here for all the saints.
That it's here for us to know one another and to bear one another's burdens.
He said in 1 Thessalonians chapter 3,
The Lord make you to increase and to abound in love toward one another.
That was Paul's prayer.
That they would increase and abound in love toward one another and toward all men, even
as we do toward you.
1 Thessalonians chapter 4, it says in verse 9,
But as touching brotherly love ye need not that I write unto you, for ye yourselves are
taught of God to love one another.
And indeed ye do it toward all the brethren that are in Macedonia, but we beseech you
brethren that ye increase more and more.
Paul's telling those Thessalonians there, he's saying,
You don't need that we should write unto you.
You're taught of God to love one another.
You know it in your spirit, in your heart.
You know it's the right thing to do.
And he says, And indeed ye do do it toward all brethren.
Paul's praising them here, but I love how he ends it and he says,
And we beseech you brethren that ye increase more and more.
He's saying, Look, I'm glad that you love one another, I'm glad that you have love toward
all men, but increase more and more.
We shouldn't have a cap on that.
We shouldn't say, I'll love this person so much, I'll only put up with so much.
That's not how Paul or the Lord would have us to live.
He would have us to increase more and more in our love toward one another.
You're there in 1 Peter chapter 3.
What are we talking about this morning?
We're talking about having an effective faith, a faith that's real, a faith that actually
has an effect in the world, has an effect in other people.
We might not go out and turn this world upside down and have the world take note of us and
praise us and lift us up and tell everyone to look to us as some great example, but boy
we could have a profound effect in our church, maybe if it's just one person, maybe it's
on just a few people, maybe if it's just the people that gather within these walls.
You don't know how great of an effect you can have on somebody by just showing a little
compassion, by having a little love, by bearing a burden when it's needed.
Unity in the local church is something that just has to be there, and it comes through
love and bearing one another's burdens.
Look there in 1 Peter chapter 3 verse 8, it says, finally, be all of one mind.
See and agree, have one mind, have one mission, have one purpose.
Giving compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous, not rendering
evil for evil, railing for railing, but contrary wise, blessing.
He's saying there, this is how you're going to love as brethren.
When you're offended, you still love.
When you're railed on, you still love.
When someone renders evil unto you, you love them in return.
You don't render it back.
Knowing that you are there unto called, saying, look, this isn't optional.
This isn't something that if you feel like doing, you should do.
This is the law of Christ, to love thy neighbor as thyself, and not just when it's easy.
And sometimes we have to be pitiful, not in the sense that we're miserable creatures,
but that we look at somebody else and have pity on them for their offense, for their
bad attitude, whatever it might be, and we just bless instead rather than render evil
for evil.
The Bible says there in verse 10, for he that will love life and see good days, let him
refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile.
So we see that if we're going to have an effectual faith this morning, we're going to have a
faith that is based on loving others, not just the lost, but even those within the church.
And I should have had you keep something there in Ephesians, if you go back to Ephesians
chapter 2, Ephesians chapter 2, and say, well, why do I have to love?
It's not easy.
Some people are so unlovable.
It's true.
It's not easy to love everybody.
It's not easy to go out there and knock on that door and people just blow you off, shake
their head at you, especially when you've gone many, many miles, gone way out of your
way.
It's hot, and you could be doing a lot of other things.
And someone gets nasty and mean and just looks like they sucked on a lemon, and they're just
giving you a look and they're being rude.
But we still have to love them and not get discouraged, not get downhearted, but to be
pitiful and to remain courteous and still understand that God loves even those people.
No matter how mean and nasty they might treat us, God still loves them.
And we have to remember the love that God had towards us, and maybe that's what's going
to help us to love one another, is when we recall how much God loved me and you.
Look there in verse 4, he said, but God who is rich in mercy, he didn't say God who is
limited in mercy, God who's poor in mercy, God who's got some mercy, no, he says he's
rich in it.
He's rich in mercy, mercy, forgiving, not rendering unto somebody what they deserve.
That's what mercy is, not giving somebody what they deserve.
That was God towards us.
He was rich in mercy for his great love wherewith he loved us.
Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together in Christ, by grace are you saved.
So we see that an effectual faith is something that we have to actually express towards other
people.
It's something we actually have to put into action.
It's going to take work.
That's what effectual means.
An effectual faith is based on loving other people, even when they don't love us back.
What I really like about this, and really this is a passage I've been thinking about
for a while now, and I heard about some things down here that, positive things, good things,
and I thought this is the time to preach it because I got some news about some things
that went on within our own church that just put a smile on my face.
Because I didn't have to say anything or ask anybody to do anything.
Somebody just out of the love of their heart did something for somebody.
And I'll say this, that an effectual faith pleases the preacher.
It pleases the pastor.
When you can look out and see a congregation that has an effectual faith, that has a faith
that loves one another.
I mean that's Paul's prayer here.
That's what Paul wants for Philemon.
He's beseeching him for Onessa's mistake.
He's saying look, show him some mercy, show him some grace for my sake and yours.
He's asking him, he's imploring him, he's beseeching him to have an effectual faith
towards Onesimus.
We had a lady in our church that went through some things recently and my wife had been
texting with her and you know I'm not going to throw any names out there, you ladies that
know know and so on and so forth, but she had gone through a procedure and operation
and she had been dealing with some things and my wife told me hey the ladies in the
church got together and made her some meals and dropped them off.
And I scratched my head and I said, well I don't remember putting that in the bulletin.
Well I don't remember putting a sign up sheet for that.
I don't remember going on Facebook and telling people to do that.
And I put a smile on my face because it made me feel joy that there's people down here
in this church that are having a faith like this.
That it's an effectual faith that they're bearing one another's burdens.
That's what they're doing.
Look there if you're back there in Philemon.
Look in effectual faith when the preacher, when the pastor looks out and he sees it happening,
when he sees the spirit of Christ in his congregation, it's a pleasing thing.
It's something to rejoice over, it's something to praise.
He said in verse 4, I thank my God, making mention of thee in my prayers.
He's thanking God for Philemon.
Hearing of thy love and thy faith.
He said I heard about it.
Somebody told me about your love, somebody told me about your faith and I thank God for
it.
Having an effectual faith, you know it's not just going to affect the people that we love
and the people that we are compassionate toward and pitiful towards and courteous towards
and the people that we put up with and everything else.
It's going to be an example to other people around us and it's going to be an encouragement
to others as well.
The Bible says in 3 John, it says, I have no greater joy than to hear that my children
walk in truth.
And that's the desire of every preacher, that's the desire of every pastor is to see a congregation,
you know, here he's alluding to them as children.
Of course we know we're all, you know, there's adults and everybody else, but he's saying
look the best thing, those that he's, when he's saying my children, he's saying those
that I've invested in, those that I've spent time in, those that I've prepared for are
walking in truth.
They're not just hearing it, but they're doing it.
They're not just hearers of the word, but they're actually doers of the word.
He says that brings him great joy, no greater joy.
You know the best show of appreciation for what you have is to walk in truth.
I mean those that were going to, you know, wanted to thank John for his ministry and
everything he did, they, you know, they could have sent him, you know, an edible arrangement,
they could have gotten some chocolates, they could have sent him a gift card, they could
have bought him a piece of fruit, who knows, they could have done all these things that
people do for their preachers and their pastors.
But the greatest joy that he could have had was just to see them walk in truth.
Just to see them do those things which he's taught.
So how is Paul seeing this here in Philemon's day?
Where he's thanking God for him, where he's saying, look, I see Philemon, I know you,
I hear about your love, I hear about your faith, and I thank God for it.
How did he know that was the truth about Philemon?
Because it was manifested in love.
Because he knew that the type of man that Philemon was, that when he besought him for
Onesimus' sake, that he was going to be entreated for Onesimus' sake.
The Bible says, if you would, go over to James chapter 3, James chapter 3, and I won't keep
us long this morning.
James chapter 3, he said in Colossians chapter 3, you're going to James 3, he said, put on
therefore as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of
mine, meekness, longsuffering.
These are the garments that we ought to wear as Christians.
These are the things that we need to put on.
These are the things, these are the attributes that we need to display towards other people.
Bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering.
What is longsuffering?
It's putting up with, it's having patience.
It's what I do every drive down here.
When I got a little two year old pushing her feet right into my back as I'm trying to drive.
It's been going on for weeks.
And finally I said, can you move her over one seat?
Can we just straighten that up and bring her over?
But I didn't do it mean.
But what was that longsuffering?
And that's what we need to do with one another.
That's what needs to be part of who we are.
He goes on and says forbearing one another and forgiving one another.
Look, people are going to offend each other.
It's just human nature.
You stick around long enough, you put people in a room long enough, get people to know
one another, people are going to offend each other.
But we need to learn to forgive.
If any man have a quarrel against any, and just in case you forgot why you should do
that, even as Christ also forgave you, so also do ye.
Look, there's nothing you can't forgive somebody for that can even compare what Christ has
forgiven us for.
He doesn't even come close.
The Bible says in James 3 where you are, James 3, look at verse 13, he said, who was a wise
man and a dude with knowledge among you?
Well, a lot of people would say, well, I am.
Let me answer that for you, James.
You're looking at him.
Who is a wise man and a dude with knowledge among you?
Right here.
Is the guy that's got that kind of wisdom really going to be that guy who's just going
to stand up and volunteer to wear that name tag?
No.
The wise man, the one and dude with knowledge is the one that's going to, what does it say
there, let him show out of a good conversation, his works with meekness of wisdom.
Look, the wise man, the one who has the knowledge is the one who's going to do the work.
He's the one that's going to have an effectual faith.
He's going to be the one that's going to have the works with meekness of wisdom.
The truly wise person is a person who, probably the last one to say it, probably the last
one to even thinking about himself.
They just do what they need to do because they know it's the right thing to do and if
nobody notices, they don't care because they're doing it for the right reasons.
Let him show out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom.
He goes on and says, but if you have bitter envy and strife in your hearts, glory not
and lie not against the truth.
Just admit it and forgive.
So we see that this morning an effective faith, an effectual faith is one that is something
of faith that is expressed towards other people.
It's not something that we just keep to ourselves.
Look, we can have faith to ourselves.
We can have faith and go to heaven and get there and people go, I didn't even know you
were Christian.
What are you doing here?
Yep, I was.
Oh, you never said anything about it.
I couldn't tell.
We can do that, but that's not an effective faith.
That's not an effectual faith.
And that's Paul's desire that Philemon would have an effectual faith.
And that's my desire for the people in this church, that we all would have an effectual
faith, one that is expressed towards others, one that is based on loving one another in
this room.
And I'll end by saying this, that an effectual faith is a refreshing faith.
An effectual faith is a refreshing faith.
That's what he said there in verse 7 of Philemon.
He said, for we have no greater joy and consolation in thy love, because the bowels of the saints
are refreshed by thee, brother.
We do this out of duty.
We say, oh, we're going to bear some of his burdens, we're going to fulfill all of Christ
because it's our duty, oh, we're going to love one another, we're going to serve one
another as we have occasion, and I'll do that because I'm supposed to.
And even if you had that kind of an attitude, even if you went into it just saying, well,
it's the right thing to do, even then, I'm going to minister to this person, I'm going
to be pitiful or courteous, or I'm going to bear their burden, I'm just going to have
an effectual faith towards this person, and even if you just did that out of duty, I'm
telling you, that person right there would be refreshed.
There's people that are refreshed by us when we have an effectual faith.
That's what he's saying.
The bowels of the saints are refreshed by thee, brother.
So if we're struggling to have an effectual faith, and I'll have you turn one to one more
place, Ephesians chapter 2, Ephesians chapter 2, you say, well, I want that effectual faith
this morning.
I feel like that's missing.
I feel like that's something I don't have.
How am I going to get that?
How can I have that spirit that Paul talks about here?
How can I be like Paul?
How can I fulfill the law of Christ?
How can I love one another?
How can I do all these things, even as he did towards us?
You need to acknowledge every good thing which is in you by Christ Jesus.
That's what he said there.
He said in verse 4, I'll read it to you, I thank my God, making mention of the always
in my prayers, hearing of thy love and faith which thou hast toward the Lord Jesus and
toward all saints, that the communication of thy faith may become effectual by the acknowledging
of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus.
He said that his faith would become effectual by the acknowledging of every good thing which
is in Christ Jesus, everything which is in you in Christ Jesus.
That's really the application this morning.
If you're struggling to have that effectual faith, maybe you just need to stop and think
about the effectual love that God had towards you.
He says there in Ephesians chapter 2 verse 1, and you hath he quickened who were dead
in trespasses and sins.
God wasn't just offended by our sin.
God wasn't just put out.
God didn't just get his feelings hurt.
God said you're dead.
God said you're going to die for what you've done.
It goes on and says in verse 4, but God who is rich in mercy for his great love wherewith
we loved, he loved us, even when we were dead in sins hath quickened us together with Christ.
It goes on and says in verse 6, and hath raised us up together and made us sit together in
heavenly places in Christ Jesus.
If you're struggling at that effect of faith, if you're having a hard time being all these
things loving, pitiful, courteous, forgiving, long-suffering, forbearing, if that's something
we're struggling with, maybe we should just think about what lies ahead of us.
It's a lot easier to take it on the chin when we know that Christ has made us to sit together
in heavenly places with him.
I don't care what anybody, what they want to hurl, what insult, what accusation, what
evil they want to render unto me, when I just think about the fact that not only has God
forgiven me of everything, of all my sins that I was dead, all the trespasses that I
was dead, and just think about the fact that one day I'm going to be sitting in heavenly
places with him.
And all these stupid, trivial little things, all these little things that we get caught
up in in this life are going to mean nothing.
All the things that we just think, oh, this is the end of it all.
It's over.
No, it'll pass.
And they won't even be a memory in heaven.
He said in verse 7, that in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his
grace and his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.
Well, I'm struggling having an effect of faith this morning.
Maybe that's us.
I don't have an effective faith towards the lost.
I just don't have a burden for it.
It doesn't bother me that people are going to hell.
I have no intention of changing anybody's eternal destiny.
I'm really not interested in soul winning.
We would love the lost if we'd acknowledge how much God loved us, if we'd just stop and
think about it, that we're no different than anybody else out there, that we're just as
dead in trespasses and sins as the vast majority of people are right now.
That would change our spirit.
You know, we'd be a lot more patient with one another.
We'd be a lot more kind and forgiving and pitiful and courteous and long suffering and
forbearing if we would just acknowledge God's patience toward us and how much he puts up
with us.
That's really the message this morning, that if we're going to have an effectual faith,
look, we're going to express that faith towards others.
It's going to be a faith that people can say, this person has faith.
I can see it.
Not because they tell me about it, not because they are wearing a hat that says, I love Jesus
or whatever.
It's because they actually do things that show me that they have a faith that is effectual,
that they have a faith that compels them to tell others about Jesus and gives them a patient
spirit with their fellow Christians.
Really an effectual faith is just a faith that helps us to be kinder towards other people
in what other way that is.
And you know what?
We would be that.
We would be that kinder person.
We would be all these great attributes if we would acknowledge that God has expressed
those same attributes towards us.
All those things that we would love for our people to be and all those things that we
ought to be towards one another, we're more likely to do that.
We're more likely to be all these things if we would just stop and recognize the fact
that God has already done all of that towards us.
We'd be kinder people if we would just acknowledge how kind the Lord has been towards us.
Let's go ahead and pray.