Actually, we're breaking in the
middle of a long flow of thought, but we can't help it for the
sake of time. But Paul is exhorting the Ephesians
now. He has come to the exhortive
part of the epistle. Having finished the doctrinal
part, and it's one of the best in all of the Bible, exhorting
them now, and exhorting them based upon and in connection
with the example of Christ. So look at verse 29. Let no corrupt
communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is
good for edifying, that it might minister grace unto the hearers. And grieve not the Holy Spirit
of God, whereby you are sealed unto the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath
and anger and clamor and evil speaking be put away from you
with all malice. And be ye kind one to another,
tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's
sake hath forgiven you. Be ye therefore followers of
God as dear children, and walk in love as Christ also hath loved
us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice
to God for a sweet-smelling savour." Now, the last part of verse 2
is our text and opening one. and hath given himself for us
an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling savor."
Let's make a couple of points about the text that we have read
from to use in this message from God's Word. First of all, as
we note, this is another one of those many places in the Scripture
where the chapter division is unnecessary. For no new subject
is begun at chapter 5 and verse 1, no change of direction in
the apostle's flow of his thought. And verse 1 and verse 2 of chapter
5 are directly connected to the thing said and the end of chapter
4 as indicated by the therefore or the wherefore in chapter 5
and verse 1. And the second thing that we
want to notice or point to make is that it contains another exhortation
unto the elect of God to act in accordance with the example
of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. And that Christian behavior
and morals always have Christ as their example and as their
model. Again, in verse 1, be followers
of God, literally, imitators of God as dear children, and
walk in love as Christ hath loved us and on occasion The Apostle
Paul particularly uses these exhortations in order that he
might weave a great Christological masterpiece concerning the work
of Christ that is to be emulated. One of the best examples of this,
of an exhortation leading to a Christological masterpiece,
is that great passage in Philippians chapter 2. where Paul, that he
might give force to the exhortation for every man to look also, not
just on his own affairs or thing, but also on the things of others,
that they be in the mind of Christ, that him who is, that he who
was, in the form of God, took on the form of a servant, was
made in the likeness of men, and died the cruel, awful death
of the cross. Here is the supreme model of
self-denial, of one who looked not just on his own things, but
also on the things of others. So that the text here in Ephesians
chapter 5 and verse 2, the exhortation, imitate God as His dear children. Walk in love as Christ hath loved
us, which love moved Him to give Himself for the objects of His
love. And because he loved, he gave
himself for the objects of his blessed love. Now, let's drop
back for a moment to the last part, last half of verse 32 in
chapter number 4. Look, forgiving one another,
even as God, for Christ's sake, hath forgiven you. Now look at
that. for Christ's sake, even as God,
for Christ's sake, hath forgiven you." Or literally, we might
render it like this, God in Christ forgave you. God in, through,
and by the work of Christ had forgiven you. And forgive
those who have wronged you and who have done you wrong, because
Christ loved you and God in Christ had forgiven you. Forgive others
because you have been forgiven. Ephesians 1.7. in whom we have
redemption through his blood, even the remission and the forgiveness
of sin. And this forgiveness and this
remission of sin is not only full, not only free, but is also
irreversible. And that upon the ground that
Christ and God's righteousness has been fulfilled in and by
Him. And in His punishment in the
cross, our sins have been put away. And God's righteousness
is vindicated in His moral interests are upheld in the world. God, as John Eady put it, were
guarded and preserved by the atonement which Christ presented
unto him. And two things about this full,
free forgiveness of sin by Christ. It flows from the sovereign good
pleasure of God. We are not forgiven because we
have earned it. We are not forgiven because we
deserve it. We are not even forgiven because
or simply we confess our sin. We are not forgiven because they
are few or because they are not very serious. We are forgiven
because we are for Christ's sake. Secondly, sins forgiven are gone
as to the condemning of those for whom they are forgiven. Never
again to rise against us and to condemn us. Paul said in Romans
8, 33 and 34, Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifies. Who is He that condemns? It is Christ that hath died. yea, having been raised again,
who is even at the right hand of God, also making intercession
for us. Now what Paul tells us here in
the end of Ephesians chapter 4 does at times great on our
flesh. Because God in Christ has forgiven
you, therefore you be a forgiver of others. God has forgiven us
all of our trespasses. Let us, therefore, forgive those
who trespass against us. And this furnishes our pattern,
the Lord Jesus Christ and God forgiving us, that we are to
forgive our brethren without retaining a grudge against them
when they have wronged us. Then in Ephesians 5 and verse
2, we have again the imitation and the pattern. And this time
it is love. Walk in love. even as Christ
hath loved us." That is, walk or live in love. Conduct yourself in love. Let your behavior be according
to love, even as Christ loved us and gave himself for us. And, of course, the model is
the love of Christ manifested in the dying for His elect. the awful death of the cross. I ran across this quote in a
commentary on Ephesians. This love of Christ which is
set before us was noble, ardent, and self-sacrificing, eternal,
boundless, and unchanging. This love was embodied in Christ
who was incarnate in the flesh and manifested its greatest degree
in his death for us upon the cross. Closing in on our text
this morning more closely, let's take note of great gospel truths
that are found here in the second verse, which is our text. Such
as Christ so loved us and gave himself for us. Those two words. He gave himself
for us. That is, he gave himself up. He gave up his life. He gave up his life in the death
that he died upon the cross. And commentators say that the
verb that is used here describes a full and a free surrender. And the preposition for, or on
the behalf of, tells in whose behalf our Lord gave Himself
up or surrendered His life. He gave Himself for us. Paul includes believers in that
He gave Himself not for the angels and not even for all men, but
He gave Himself for us, Paul is saying. And then notice, He
gave himself, not as a mortar, but he gave himself as an offering
and a sacrifice. This tells us the nature of his
death, that it was of the nature of an offering and a sacrifice,
that in regard to sin. These are terms that describe
the nature of the death that Christ died. And we see immediately
that Paul crouches the death of Christ in familiar Old Testament
phraseology. He is using terms found frequently
in the Old Testament. sacrifice, so often used in the
Old Testament, used of the sin and the trespass offering and
the sacrifices which the priests made in behalf of the people
when they had sin. Now we may wonder, why does Paul
use both words, offering and sacrifice. So let's look at them
individually. The word offering and secondly
the word sacrifice. Let's consider them. The word
sacrifice refers to the slaying of an appointed sacrifice at
an appointed time for an appointed reason. And those bleeding sacrifices
called offerings and sacrifices under the old economy were but
types and shadows of the great sacrifice that Christ was to
make. And when a sacrifice was made
under the old economy, its blood was shed, and often its carcass
was burned upon an altar. The blood of the animal was shed,
its carcass burned upon an altar, and it was there as an offering
unto God for the sins of the people. The word sacrifice here
looks to be the word thesia, from a word that means to put
to death or to kill. This word is also used in other
ways, however, in the Scripture, in the New Testament, of spiritual
sacrifices. I Peter chapter 2 and verse 5
presenting our bodies a living sacrifice, as in Romans 12 and
verse 1, but it's also the same word in Hebrews 9 And verse 26,
that Christ came to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself
once in the end of the age. Again, we see it in Hebrews chapter
10 and verse 12. He offered one sacrifice for
sin forever. and only one, one and no more. Then the word offering from words
that signify to bear or to bring forward. It signifies to bring
or to present or to bring near or to offer up or to lead or
to give, literally a presentation or an oblation, that is, an offering. It is the word used in Hebrews
chapter 10 and verse 10. We are sanctified by the offering
of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. Again, it's the word
in Hebrews 10 and verse 14. for by one offering He has perfected
forever them that are sanctified. One commentator made this distinction,
quote, The idea contained in offering covers the entire transaction,
while the idea in sacrifice is a distinct part or portion of
the process, unquote. Still, the Lord gave Himself
as an offering and a sacrifice in the full and complete sense
of the word for us and to God. And notice in verse 2, a contrast
here not to be overlooked, that in giving himself an offering
and a sacrifice, we have already read it and emphasized it, but
he gave himself for us. And he gave himself to God. He gave himself to God for us,
or he gave himself for us unto God for us, in our behalf, to
die for the sins of many. He gave Himself up to become
a sin-bearer. and to die the death of the cross. Paul also says he gave himself
an offering and a sacrifice unto God. He gave himself to God to
do as seemed good in God's sight. The son gave himself up to the
Father, an offering and a sacrifice, and the Father spared him not
in all that sin deserved from the hand of a righteous, holy,
offended God. Even when punishing our sin,
in His only begotten Son of His love. He did not slacken the
blows that that sin deserved. He did not mitigate the punishment
at all or in the least. He exacted the full measure,
even though He was exacting it in His own blessed and eternal
Son. So let's come to the last part
now of the second verse. And he did all of that, Paul
says, drawing again on Old Testament phraseology, for a sweet-smelling
sabre. Now, this is a familiar term
in the Old Testament, as we shall see. But Paul says that the death
of Christ toward God was a sweet smelling savor. You may see it
a little differently in other versions of the Scripture. You
might see it, for example, as an odor of a sweet smell. You might see it again as a fragrant
offering and a sacrifice unto God. You might see it as a fragrant
aroma that it was the death of Christ unto God. And as mentioned
earlier, this is Old Testament terminology brought forth by
the apostle and ascribed to the pleasure and the delight and
the satisfaction which the Father took in the death of His holy
Christ. And His pleasure was not inflicting
the punishment and the suffering per se, but as a perfect atonement
for sin, it was a sweet-smelling savor in the nostrils of God. Now, let's go to Genesis chapter
8 first of all. If you care to turn and follow
along, let's go to Genesis chapter 8 and we're going to be looking
at verse 20 and verse 21 in a moment. First of all, explaining that
this took place after the flood. It took place after Noah and
his family had come out of the ark and after the population
of the earth had been reduced to but eight souls. And God's word to them afresh,
multiply and replenish the earth. When Noah, his wife, his three
sons and their wives are upon the flood-purged world after
the flood is receded or abated. Now, I direct your attention
to Genesis 8, verse 20 and 21. And Noah built an altar unto
the LORD, and took of every clean beast and of every clean fowl,
and offered burnt offerings upon the altar. And the Lord smelled
a sweet savor. And the Lord said in his heart,
I will not again curse the ground anymore for man's sake. or the imagination of man's heart
is evil from his youth, neither will I again smite any more every
thing living as I have done." Now, one phrase jumps out at
us, and the Lord smelled a sweet savor, a pleasing, a fragrant
aroma. Now, this falls under the principle
of first mention in the Scripture. That is, the first time that
a certain thing is mentioned in the Scripture but comes before
us again and again, most often laying the foundation for a major
doctrine in the New Testament. After all, Genesis is the book
of beginning or the book of origin. First of all, we notice that
the last words in Ephesians 5 and verse 2 are the very words used
in Genesis 8 and verse 21, a sweet-smelling savor, a pleasant odor. and a fragrance. But here's another
point. In both texts, the savor or the
fragrance or the odor is connected to an offering and unto a debt. a sacrifice, a bloodshed, suffering,
wounding, and dying. In both of those cases it is
so. And to extend the similarity,
in both passages the odor is said to be pleasant in the nostrils
of God. It is God, not man. that smells the sweet odor in
God's sight and unto Him. Again, the Lord smelled a sweet
savor, for the savor of a sweet smell unto God. This shows us
that we have in these two places, Genesis 8, 21, Ephesians 5 and
2, type and antitype, or shadow and substance. One the type,
the other the antitype. One the shadow and the other
the substance. Or, as the Puritan Thomas Goodwin
wrote, that Christ's sacrifice was figured out in that of Noah's
wherein both are acceptable unto God. Scripture used the same
words to describe both. Now, what have we here in Genesis
8, 20 and verse 21? We have an altar built. We have
a place for sacrifice. Literally, it is a place of death. Noah built an altar unto the
Lord, and upon that altar he offered up in blood and in death,
Genesis 8.20, quote, of every clean beast and of every clean
fowl, unquote. Be sure to note the designation,
clean beast and clean fowl. Remember, Noah was to take in
the ark a pair of each species, male and female, Genesis 6, 19
and 20. Take them a pair as seed in order
that they might propagate themselves upon the new earth and the new
beginning of the world. However, in Genesis 7, verse
2 and verse 3, of every clean beast, ye shall take to thee
by sevens the male and his female." That is, a matching female of
every species and a beast not clean by two, the male and his
female, afouls also of the air by sevens, the male and the female,
to keep alive seed upon the face of all of the earth." Now this
note, please, at this particular place, it would appear from statements
made in connection unto the animals that the distinction between
clean and unclean beast was observed even before the days of the flood,
not waited until the giving of the ceremonial law. Maybe not
yet for food as it was under the ceremonial law, Genesis 9
and 3, every beast shall be meat unto you. By some means of revelation,
it was certain that the sacrifices that were offered were, as Gil
said, ever since the fall, quote, unquote. clean sacrifice of one
sort. Need we remind ourselves of the
difference that God put between the sacrifices of Cain and of
Abel, as well as between the sons themselves? It seems clear
that the increased number of the clean beasts and fowls taken
into the ark was upon two accounts. Number one, for use in sacrifices. Number two, to propagate and
to replenish their species. Then later, under the Mosaic
law, for food, for then the distinction was made for the people to put
a distinction between the clean and the unclean, even in such
things as food, and clothes and the seeds sown in their field. Now, Noah offered only clean
beasts. And it's clear that this was
by design and that such were typical of the Lord Jesus Christ. They were typical of His sacrifice. He is called the Lamb of God
without spot or blemish. as the same thing is said of
Christ's sacrifice that was said of Noah's. The Lord smelled a
sweet savor. Now this indicates that the acts
and the sacrifices that Noah made were acceptable and also
were pleasing unto God. And also, as also, was the death
of Christ that he died upon the cross. who offered himself a
sweet-smelling savor unto God. But there's something else to
consider in Genesis chapter 8, when the Lord smelled a sweet
savor at the sacrifices emanating from the altar that Noah had
built. And you might notice an alternate
reading. in the margin to the Lord smelled
a sweet savor, a savor of rest as it is in the margin. First,
wherein consists a sweet aroma from such sacrifices by which
God is pleased. Or in actuality, as Thomas Goodwin
wrote on page 53 in volume 9, the smoke of the sacrifice had
an unsavory scent in God's nostrils as well as men's, actually."
They in fact did not actually smell sweet and fragrance and
pleasing. They did not actually emit a
pleasant fragrance to the nostrils of those that were there close
by. For they consisted in the burning
of flesh and hide and hoofs and the entrails and the singed hair,
the sinews in the body and such like. To some it might be a sickening
smell to cut off the breath and sicken the stomach and cause
one to gag at the foul odor emanating there. However, Moses calls it
a sweet smelling savor to God and this can only be because
it was a picture and a type of the Lord's death and of the Lord's
sacrifice, which also was a sweet-smelling savor to God, though in actuality
it was one of the most horrible scenes ever portrayed or played
out on the earth, our Lord in the cross. But if you're still
in Genesis 8, notice a connection in verse 21 and verse 22 that
after the Lord smelled a sweet savor, we read, and the Lord
said in his heart, I will not again, verse 21, curse the ground
any more for man's sake, for the imagination of man's heart
is evil from his youth. Neither will I again smite any
more everything living as I have done, while the earth remaineth
seed, time and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter,
day and night shall not cease." Now, as Robert Canlis wrote in
his rather helpful commentary in Genesis on this part of the
passage, that God was propitiated to his satisfaction, reconciled,
and was well pleased, as expressed in the words, the Lord smelled
a sweet savor. However, not by Noah's beast
only, for he had Even then, God did the death and the sacrifice
of Christ in his eye. And this prefigured the sacrifice
that our Lord was to make. And as a result, of having received
a pleasing sacrifice, God determined, as clearly stated in verse 21,
A, not to again curse the ground for man's sake, not to add more
or a further curse, not to increase the curse, though neither to
lift it completely. But then B, notice, Neither will
I again smite every living thing as I have done. That is, everything
in which is the breath of life. Genesis 6 and verse 17. Never again will I do that as
was done in the flood. God would never send another
flood to destroy all flesh. See Genesis 9. And verse 15,
the rainbow being the sign of the covenant unto Noah. Gill
and others have pointed out the same reason, the exact same reason
for destroying all in the flood is now the reason against it. being the incorrigible depravity
of man. The reason for destroying the
earth? The incorrigible depravity of
man. The reason for not destroying
it again or cursing it again? The same. The incorrigible depravity
of man. Jump back in Genesis chapter
6, if you are there, in verse 5. God saw the wickedness of
man was great in the earth, that every imagination of the thoughts
of his heart was only evil continually. Look at verse 11, chapter 6.
The earth was also corrupt before God. The earth was filled with
violence. Look then at verse 12. God looked
upon the earth, and behold, it was corrupted, for all flesh
had corrupted his way upon the earth. Look at verse 13, the
earth is filled with violence before them, and behold, I will
destroy them with the earth. And because of this, verse 7,
I will destroy man. Verse 13, the end of all flesh
is come up before me. I will destroy them with the
earth. because of the incorrigible depravity
of man, God would smite again and again and again. So God will
forbear man's incurable, incorrigible wickedness and depravity based
upon one thing and one fact. And that is, the great sacrifice
typified by the sacrifice of Noah. That is, Candliss wrote,
by that great sacrifice alone, God suspends the doom to which
the world is otherwise every instant liable, unquote. And it is in view of that sacrifice
that God does purpose not to curse the ground again for man's
sake or on account of man and on account of man's sin. Only
localized type of judgment would God bring upon the earth like
Sodom and Gomorrah and such like." By the way, there are other places
in the Old Testament where the same expression is used in connection
with the sacrifices. The Lord smelled a sweet savor. I'm just going to give them to
you, not read them. Exodus 29, verse 18, And verse 25 says the same thing
of the sacrifices under the law. Leviticus 4, 31. You'll find
it again. Numbers 15 and verse 3 speaks
the same language or terminology. Though they consisted in death
and bloodshed and foul-smelling burnt carcasses upon the altar,
And in the minds of heathens and in the minds of unbelievers,
that's how and all it was under them, consider the death of Christ
upon the cross and the contrasted way that it is viewed by men
and that it is viewed by God. Look at the cross, the Son of
God hanging there in misery and in pain and agony. There are
those who would say this is foolishness to save a sinner in this manner. This is a foolish way to try
to save sinners. Some view the Lord's death upon
the cross as an unspeakable tragedy. Others see it as a frustration
of the purpose of God, seeing He came to set up an earthly
kingdom, they say. Others view it as no higher than
Christ simply making it possible for all men to save themselves. To those who are law-minded,
It is a great miscarriage of justice what was done unto Christ
to the old heretic Sassanian and the modern Unitarian. It was not necessary for Christ
to die this death in order for him to forgive sin. that no atonement
was necessary, said Sicinius, for God to forgive sin. But to us who believe, it is
the power of God. Christ crucified the power of
God. And to God, the offering and
the sacrifice of Christ was a sweet-smelling savor unto Him. He was infinitely
pleased. His justice was satisfied because
it fully repaired the breach that sin had brought between
God and the elect. God is propitiated when Christ
gave Himself to him in debt. The debt is settled. God and
men are reconciled together again. Sin is put away. in his condemning
power by the death of our Lord Jesus Christ. Again, that passage
in Hebrews 9 and 26, his one death, his one death, doing more
than all of the thousands of beast slain upon the Jewish altar,
his death being able to perfume the other foul-smelling sacrifices
offered unto him. They had not been pleasant, except
as they were types of Christ. Multitudes, yes, multitudes were
saved under the old economy upon the coming credit of Christ's
death that he would die at the cross. Thomas Goodwin asked,
what was there to sweeten the death and the sufferings of the
son to the father except the end of it, except that which
is intended and that which is accomplished. That is what made
it a sweet-smelling savor to God. It is the end that sweetens
and facilitates the mean unto that end. And the sweetness of
Christ's death had one great end, to take away sin, to procure
redemption, remission, and forgiveness of sin. Christ's death made God
just. in forgiving sin and the infinite
merit and worth of the death of the Son of God made it infinitely
pleasing unto God. While his followers sorrowed
and lost hope, there was in that death of Christ a sweet savor
unto God. Let's make a point. That is,
what we've said this morning screams out at us. It screams
particular redemption and against universal atonement. For it is
incumbent upon the Father to forgive all the sins that He
lay upon Christ and that He received a just recompense for at the
hands of Christ, to forgive all the sin that He made Him sin
and that He bruised Him for, as Isaiah chapter 53 tells us.
as if God pardoned millions upon the Word of Christ before He
actually paid the debt. And if He did that, how much
more are they sure to be pardoned whose sins He has borne in His
own body on the tree on the cross in His death? The Puritan made
the point, if at any time Christ or God had repented of their
purpose, it would have been here at the crucifixion, the actual
death of God's Holy One. And yet, as that Puritan said,
God's purpose, God's will and determination to save illect
sinners was stronger than His desire to spare or deliver His
Son from the death of the cross. Jesus loved us, gave Himself
to God. God punished Him and exacted
from Him what our sins deserved, and it pleased God. And upon
that, sins are remitted and are put away. I'll say it in closing. The Son gave Himself up and the
Father smelled a sweet savor in His death. It was to God a
sweet odor. when Christ offered Himself to
the awful, awful death of the cross. God was pleased, infinitely
pleased, forever pleased. as a sacrifice for sin. He gave Himself for us, gave
Himself to God, a sweet savor it was to the Father. The just,
holy, righteous, offended God smelt a sweet savor in the death
of Christ. And upon that, sinners are saved
and are being saved, thank God.