Ephesians chapter 5. Let's read
verses 1 and 2, but let's go back to verse 32. Chapter divisions
are put in there by the men who translated this from the original
into the English. Be you kind one toward another. Tender hearted. What? Tender
hearted. Forgiving one another. Even as,
read like as, even as God, for Christ's sake, has forgiven you. Be, therefore, followers of God. Followers of God. As children. As children. You know, little
children, when they're beginning to walk, they don't walk very
well, but when they learn how to walk proficiently, they follow
mama. They follow their mama. Follow
daddy wherever they go, they walk, they walk that way. Walk
in love. How are we to walk? Walk in love.
As Christ also, as Christ also had loved us and had given himself
for us. He gave himself for us. An offering. We know it was an offering unto
death, a sacrifice, a blood sacrifice to God. And he did so in satisfaction
to God's law and justice. And God smelled of the aroma
of that sacrifice and said, it's sweet. It's a sweet fragrance
unto God. That means it's satisfying, satisfying
unto God. So I'm taking the title from
what is said in verse 2, Ephesians 5. Christ loved us and gave Himself
for us. He loved us and gave Himself
for us. We read just a moment ago from
1 John 4, how the Lord Jesus Christ indeed loved us, and then
it says that He gave Himself a sacrifice for our sin. Here in His love, not that we
love God, but that He loved us, and that He made propitiation,
Atonement for our sin. That's the gospel message that
we have Christ and Him crucified. Christ dying for His own people. And we often say, in our room
and in our stead. That is, Christ died as our substitute. The Lord Jesus Christ died for
His own people. He said, I lay down my life for
the sheep. The messenger from heaven said,
call His name Jesus. He shall save His people from
their sin. And we study in the book of Acts
that the Lord Jesus Christ laid down His life and purchased the
church. As it says right across the page
in Ephesians chapter 5, verse 25, Ephesians 5, 25, Husband,
love your wives, even as Christ loved the church. Can a husband
love his wife too much? Oh no. Even as Christ loved the
church and gave Himself for it. That is, He is the Savior of
the body. The Lord Jesus Christ died to
secure our everlasting salvation. Now I want to use as an introduction
to the message what's said in verse 32. And He tells us as
believers to be kind to each other. He tells us as believers
who were bought with His blood to be tender-hearted. Tender-hearted
is kind-hearted. And then He tells us as believers
that we are to forgive one another. We're to forgive one another
just like God, for Christ's sake, has forgiven us. Believers in
Christ have been freely and fully forgiven all our sins which are
against Him. The blood of Jesus Christ, God's
Son, cleanses us from all our sin. Therefore, as God has forgiven
all our sin, therefore we should always be ready and willing to
forgive those who have wronged us. We should be kind and tender-hearted,
long-suffering and patient, just as God is with us, rather than
being mean-spirited or hard-hearted. mean-spirited or hard-hearted. That's the way of the flesh.
But the way of the new man in Christ Jesus is to be kind. To
be tender-hearted. That's what love does. When the
love of God is shed or brought in our hearts by the Holy Spirit. Now, hold your place there. I
want to read this. I want you to turn with me. Find
1 Corinthians 13. 1 Corinthians 13 is a whole chapter
given on love. The importance of love. 1 Corinthians
13, 1, Though I speak with the tongue of men, of angels, and
have not love, have not this love of God shed or brought in
our heart by the Holy Spirit, I may become a sounding brass
or a tinkling cymbal. Though I have the gift of prophecy
and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though
I have all faith, so I can remove mountains and have not love,
I am nothing. Though I bestow all my goods
to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned,
and have not love, it profits nothing." Profits nothing. I'm
nothing. Love, verse 4, this is that love
of God. This is that love of God that
shed abroad in our hearts, suffers long, and is kind. Love envies
not. Love doesn't vaunt itself, it's
not rash, it's not puffed up, it's not full of self-righteousness,
does not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily
provoked, thinketh no evil, rejoices not in iniquity, but rejoices
in the truth. Love beareth all things, believeth
all things, hopeth all things, endures all things. Verse 8,
love never fails. This love of God never fails.
Now look down to verse 13, 1 Corinthians 13, 13. Now by the faith, hope,
and love, these three, greatest of these is love. Our Lord said,
By this shall all men know that you are my disciples, that you
love one another. Now look at verse 1 in chapter
5, Ephesians 5 verse 1. Be therefore followers of God. followers of God as His dear,
dear children, as beloved little children, His dear, beloved covenant
people. This is what the sheep of the
Lord Jesus Christ constantly do. They follow the shepherd. Don't they? Yes, they do. The
Lord, we say with David, the Lord is my shepherd. I shall
not want. The sheep of the Lord Jesus Christ
constantly follow the shepherd. Our Lord said, I know my sheep. I lay down my life for the sheep.
My sheep hear my voice. I know them. And they do what? They follow me. I give unto them
eternal life. And they shall never perish. We're only His children. Notice,
followers of God as dear children. That is His dear children. We
only are His children by His electing grace and by His sovereign
choice. That's how we become sons of
God. Look back to Ephesians chapter
1. Verse 3, Ephesians 1 verse 3, blessed be the God and Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ, who had blessed us with all spiritual
blessing in heavenly places or heavenly things in Christ, according
as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world,
that we should be holy without blame before him in love, having
predestinated us unto the adoption of children. How are we sons
of God? Predestinated unto the adoption
of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good
pleasure of his will, to the praise of the glory of his grace,
wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. in the beloved
the Lord Jesus Christ. So we're only his children by
his electing love, his electing grace, and his sovereign choice. We're only his children because
he loved us in that eternal covenant of love. Here in his love, beloved
behold what manner of love The Father has bestowed upon us that
we should be called sons of God. This is sovereign love. Jacob
have I loved, Esau have I hated. Now look at verse 2. So be ye
therefore followers of God. That's a description of what
God's people do. They follow God. They believe
Him. Like Abraham believed God and
it was counted to him for righteousness. And as his dear children, he
says to walk in love. as Christ also has loved us.
To walk in love. Now, you remember last week turned
to chapter 4, Ephesians chapter 4, talked about this walk. Verse
1, I therefore the prisoner of the Lord beseech you that you
walk worthy, walk worthy of the vocation or the calling for which
you're called with all lowliness and meekness with long-suffering,
forbearing one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity
of the Spirit in the bond of peace. So walk worthy of that
calling. Walk in love. Walk in love. Now, back to chapter 5, verse
8. Chapter 5, Ephesians 5, verse
8. For you were sometimes darkness,
but now are you light in the Lord. Walk as children of light. Walk, the tenor, that's the tenor
of a person's bent, his will to walk as children of light,
of light. Down in the same chapter, verse
15, Ephesians 5, 15, see then that you walk circumspectly or
wisely, not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time because
the days are evil. Wherefore, be you not unwise,
but understanding what the will of the Lord is. So walk in love. One of the attributes of faith
is love towards God, and towards His people. Now, don't turn,
but let me just read this to you. We've been studying through
the book of Galatians. In the book of Galatians chapter
5, it says this, For we through the Spirit wait
for the hope of righteousness. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision
availeth anything, nor uncircumcision, but faith which works by, guess
what? Love. Faith works by love. Faith is not motivated by law
or the whip of the law. Faith worketh, or faith is obedient
by love. Love. By love. And we know in
Galatians chapter 5, Verse 22, it said, the fruit of the Spirit
is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
temperance, meekness, against such there is no law. So that
the fruit of the Spirit is love. Our Lord said this in John 13,
A new commandment I give unto you, that you love one another
as I have loved you. See that you love one another.
By this shall all men know that you are my disciples, that you
love one another. You see, it's the love of Christ
that constrains us. motivates us. Love to Him. The Lord Jesus Christ. Now it
says here, walk in love as Christ also loved us. The Lord Jesus
Christ holds Himself forth as the supreme and only example
of complete, total, holy love. Paul didn't say now walk in love
as Paul does. He said walk in love as Christ.
We don't hold ourselves forth as an example of love. I would
never point to myself and say now, I'm an example of love. I don't like that song that goes,
and the chorus or something, one line of that song goes, oh
how I love Jesus, oh how I love Him. Now, don't get me wrong,
we do love Him because He first loved us, but I'm not going to
brag about my love for Him, I'm going to brag about His love
for me. So we don't hold ourselves forth as an example of love. Paul didn't point to himself.
nor as an example how to give or forgive. He gave everything. He forgave us totally. but we
do hold him forth as an example. We do seek his grace and mercy
to help us in our time of need in this fleshly body, to act
as he acted, not to earn or merit his grace, don't get me wrong,
not to earn or merit his grace, but rather because we have been
saved by his grace already. Now let me see if I can show
you what I'm from the Scripture what I'm trying to tell you. First of all, let's turn to 1
Peter 2. 1 Peter 2. Look at verse 20. 1 Peter 2.20. For what glory
is it, if when you be buffeted for your faults, you take it
patiently? But if you do well, and suffer
for it, and you take it patiently, well, this is acceptable with
God. This is acceptable with God. For even here unto where
you call, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an
example, that we should follow His steps, that we should follow
His steps. For when he was reviled, reviled
not again. When he suffered, he threatened
not, but committed himself to him that judges righteously,
who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree,
that we being dead to sin should live under righteousness by whose
stripes we are healed. We were as sheep going astray,
but now return and to the shepherd and bishop of our soul. So Christ
is our example, how to love and how to forgive. You remember
he said from the cross, you remember the first of those seven sayings? When they so brutally beat him,
nailed him, whipped him, laughed at him, he said, Father, forgive
them. Wow, that's forgiveness. That
is true love, is it not? Now, here's another Scripture.
Peter and Paul and John, all in harmony on this, turn to 1
John 3. Marvel not, verse 13, my brethren,
if the world hates you. 1 John 3, verse 14, we know that
we pass from death unto life, because we love the brethren.
He that loveth not his brother abides in death. Whosoever hateth
his brother is a murderer, and ye know that no murderer hath
eternal life abiding in him. Hereby perceive we the love of
God. He laid down his life for us, that we ought to lay down
our lives for the brethren. But whosoever hath this world's
goods, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his
bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God
in him? Now look at verse 18. 1 John 3, 18. My children, let
us not love in word, neither in tongue, but in deed and in
truth. Let's not just talk about love. Demonstrate it. Demonstrate it. And that's what our Lord did.
He loved us. And He demonstrated that love in that He laid down
His life for us. And He did so out of love. Now,
back to Ephesians chapter 5. Now, three things I want to see
in the last part of verse 2. He loved us, He gave Himself
for us, an offering and sacrifice to God, satisfying God. Those three points. Of His eternal,
sovereign love for us, number one. Number two, on His glorious
sacrifice for us, Number three, on his complete satisfaction
unto God for us. Now, we can follow along with
that. Three points, right here in the text. as Christ also loved
us. He loved us. Let's think about
this now. On His eternal and sovereign
love for us. Remember we had that in chapter
2? Turn back over to Ephesians chapter 2. On His eternal and
sovereign love for us. You remember Ephesians 2 verse
4, But God, who is rich in mercy for his great love wherewith
he loved us, even when we were dead in sin, hath quickened us
together with Christ. By grace are ye saved, and raised
us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places
in the Lord Jesus Christ. One other scripture on that,
let's turn to Romans chapter 5. Thinking about His love for
us. His love for us. Romans chapter
5, verse 5 it says, Hope maketh
not a shame. Romans 5, 5. Because the love
of God is shed abroad in our hearts. by the Holy Spirit which
is given unto us. Now this isn't talking about
spiritual love. That's not talking about natural
affections. It's talking about spiritual
love for Christ and the gospel and His church, His people. Because
the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit
which is given unto us. For when we were yet without
strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. or scarcely
for a righteous man would one die, yet peradventure for a good
man some would even dare to die. But God, oh, but God committed
His love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died
for us. Much more than being now justified
by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. God commended
His love toward us. God commended His love toward
us. Christ loved His own with an
everlasting love. In John 13, it says, Having loved
His own, He loved them unto the end. The story in the book of
Hosea, Hosea was a prophet of God, and God told him to go and
marry a woman who was a, let me put it frankly, she was a
prostitute. And God told him, Hosea, to go
love this woman and marry this woman, and he did. And she became
unfaithful and left Hosea. And later on, Hosea found Gomer,
that was his wife, on the auction block ready to be sold into slavery. And God told Hosea, he said,
go and love her freely. I will love them freely for my
anger is turned away. God loves us freely. When we were on the auction block
as guilty vile sinners, he loved us freely. His love, we know
in Scripture, is called sovereign love, Jacob have I loved, Esau
have I hated. His love in Scripture is called
everlasting love. Having loved His own, He loved
them which were in the world. Having loved us with an everlasting
love, Jeremiah 31. Having loved us with an everlasting
love, therefore with loving kindness, He does draw us to Himself. How
long has God loved the church and gave Himself for the church?
He's loved us with an everlasting love. He's loved us from all
eternity. The love of God does not change.
He's always loved us, will always love us, will never fall out
of love with us. Nothing can separate us. Remember
Romans 8? Nothing can separate us from
the love of God, which is in the Lord Jesus Christ. God commended
that love toward us. And while we were yet very unlovely,
guilty, He died for us. His love is sovereign. His love is everlasting. And
his love is sacrificial too. He demonstrated the fact that
he loved his church. He loved his people. And he said,
no man takes my life from me. I lay it down on myself. I have
power to lay it down. I have power to take it again.
This commandment have I received from my Father. We read a moment
ago, here in His love, not that we love God, He loved us. He bought the church with His
own blood. And He gave Himself as a sacrifice
for sin. We'll see that in point three.
Here's the second thing. This one glorious sacrifice for
us. Notice what it says there. He
loved us and had given himself. Now you think what he could have
given. He could have given Diamonds, gold, world, universe. He could have given everything.
But He gave Himself for us. He gave Himself for us. Not for fallen angels. Not for
fallen devils. Not for fallen demons. He gave
Himself for the church as the sinner's substitute. Now let's
go back to 1 Peter. 1 Peter chapter 3 this time. 1 Peter chapter 3. Verse 18,
1 Peter 3.18, For Christ also hath once, one time, that's all
that's required, one time, Christ also hath once suffered for sins,
the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being
put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit. How
does He bring us to God? Christ, the just one, dying for
the unjust. Now here's another Scripture
I want us to consider. and to look at and to believe,
find 2 Corinthians chapter 5. 2 Corinthians chapter 5. All things are of God, verse
18. You see that? 2 Corinthians 5 verse 18. All things are of God who reconciled
us to Himself by Jesus Christ and given to us the ministry
of reconciliation to wit, that means namely that God was in
Christ reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their
trespasses unto them, hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. Now then, we are ambassadors
for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us. We pray you
and cry instead, now be you reconciled. Now, verse 21. Everybody knows
this verse. For God made him, the Lord Jesus
Christ, to be sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might be
made the righteousness of God in Him. That's the gospel. That's
the gospel clear and plain. He died for our sins. Turn to Galatians chapter 1.
Galatians chapter 1 this time. Verse 3, Grace be to you, Galatians
1, 3, and peace from God the Father and from our Lord Jesus
Christ, who gave Himself for our sins. What did He give? He
gave Himself, that He might deliver us from this present evil world,
according to the will of God. He dies, Him being delivered
by the determinate counsel for knowledge of God, according to
the will of God our Father. To whom be glory forever and
ever. Amen. He gets all the glory.
He gets all the glory. Now, I want to make good on this
point. I'm going to drive this nail
deep. Turn to Hebrews. Look at Hebrews
chapter 1. How is sin put away? How are
sinners justified? He gave His self. He gave His
blood. his life to put away our sin.
Now who is this one who dies? The Lord Jesus Christ. Hebrews
chapter 1 verse 1, God who in sundry times and divers manners
spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets hath in these
last days spoken unto us by his son whom he hath appointed heir
of all things by whom he made the world by whom also he made
the world, who being in the brightness of his glory, the express image
of his person, upholding all things by the word of his power,
when he by himself purge our sin, He sat down on the right
hand of God. He gave Himself for us. Now turn to Hebrews 9. We are
not redeemed with corruptible things, remember Peter said,
but with the precious blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. Hebrews
9 verse 11, Hebrews 9 verse 11, but Christ being come a high
priest, of good things to come by a greater and more perfect
tabernacle, not made with hand, that is to say, not of his building,
neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood
he entered in once into the holy place having obtained eternal
redemption for us. For it's the blood of bulls and
of goats and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctified
to the purifying of the flesh. How much more, verse 14, Hebrews
9, how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal
spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience
from dead work to serve the living God. In the same chapter, Hebrews
9 verse 24, look at this. For Christ did not enter into
the holy places made with hands, which are figures of the true,
but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God
for us, nor yet that he should offer himself often as a high
priest enters into the holy place every year with the blood of
others, for then he must often have suffered since the foundation
of the world, but now once in the end of the world hath he
appeared to put away sin, what? By the sacrifice of himself.
He loved us, and gave Himself for us. Now, Hebrews 10. Hebrews 10. Verse 10. Hebrews 10. 10. Verse 9 says,
He takes away the first. He takes away the first that
He may establish a second. That's the eternal covenant of
grace by the witch will. Hebrews 10. 10. We are sanctified
through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ one time for
all, all His people. Every priest standing daily,
ministering often, oftentimes the same sacrifice which can
never take away sin. But this man, after he offered
one sacrifice for sin forever, sat down on the right hand of
God, from henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his
foes, for by one offering he perfected forever them that are
sanctified. Verse 17, and their sin and their
iniquity will I remember no more. So He loved us and He gave Himself
for us to put away our sin, affectionately, completely, totally, so much
so that God said their sin and their iniquity, I don't remember
it. Wouldn't you like to be able
to forgive that way? Now the third point is this, what is
the effect of that? Did it really work? Did Christ
get the job done? He gave himself as an offering
and sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savor. Now, think about
this, his complete satisfaction unto God for us. This is God's sacrificial lamb,
him being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of
God. This glorious sacrifice of the
Lord Jesus Christ, now listen carefully, The glorious sacrifice
of the Lord Jesus Christ is not an offering unto men. Wait a
minute. That's what everybody's saying
today. He made an offering and he made a proposition. The gospel
is not a proposition, it's a proclamation that he accomplished salvation.
The glorious sacrifice of Christ is not an offering unto men,
it's unto God. It's not an offering unto men.
It's an offering unto God. And that's the total difference.
It's an offering unto God. You see, this is God's sacrificial
lamb to satisfy God's own holy law. We study this morning Galatians
3 verse 13. Christ redeemed us from the curse
of the law, being made a curse for us. So the Lord Jesus Christ
didn't die to satisfy men. He died to satisfy God. You see
the difference? Now, believers are satisfied
with Him. But the Lord Jesus Christ, His
offering is unto the Father, satisfying unto God. Now, let's
see if we can find that in the Scripture. Turn to Isaiah 53. John identified the Lord Jesus
Christ as the Lamb of God that takes away sin, the sin of His
people. Isaiah 53, verse 10, said, It
pleased the Lord to bruise him. He hath put him to grief, when
thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin. He shall see his seed,
he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall
prosper in his hand. He shall see the travail of his
soul, Isaiah 53, 11, and shall be satisfied. Aren't you glad that God is satisfied
with Christ and him crucified? By his knowledge shall my righteous
servant justify many, for he shall bear their iniquity. He said he was wounded for our
transgression, bruised for our iniquity. The chastisement of
our peace was upon him, and with his stripes we are healed. Now. Look back to the text. Be therefore
followers of God as dear children and walk in love as Christ also
loved us. hath given himself for us as
an offering, sacrificed to God for sweet-smelling fragrance
and aroma. The Lord Jesus Christ crucified,
satisfying the law and justice of God, accomplishing all of
God's purpose in the redemption of his people. in whom we have
redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sin, according
to the riches of His grace." A sweet-smelling aroma of success,
accomplishment, satisfaction. The Lord Jesus said at Calvary,
it is finished. Don't bring your works. Anything or any offering we would
attempt to bring would be a horrible offense to God But God says,
away with it. He calls all of our righteousnesses
as filthy rags. He calls those who go around
and say, I am holier than thou. He calls that self-righteousness. You remember what he called it
in Isaiah 65? It's smoke in my nose. Now, smoke
in my nose, I mean, that's obnoxious, isn't it? Our Lord said to those
Pharisees, you or they would justify yourselves before men.
God knows your heart. That which is highly esteemed
among men is an abomination in the sight of God. Isaiah 64,
we are all as an unclean thing, and all of our righteousnesses
are as filthy rags. We all do fade as a leaf. Our
iniquities like a wind have taken us away. God says to those, that
say, Stand by thyself, come not near to me, for I am holier than
thou. You ever run into that crowd? I'm holier than you. Thank
God I'm not like you. God said, There's smoke in my
nose, a fire that burns all the day long. Again we see that salvation
is of the Lord, don't we? From election to glorification,
Christ crucified is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning
and the end of all of our salvation. Any sinner that's justified is
justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is
in the Lord Jesus Christ. And we love Him because He first
loved us. He loved us and gave Himself
for us. He loved us when we were ungodly,
when we were without strength, without God, without hope, and
without Christ. You see, we don't merit His favor.
That's all of God. Salvation's of the Lord. Salvation's
of the Lord. I believe there's an article
on the bulletin, don't read it now, but on the back page, that
salvation is of the Lord. Now, I'm going to read this in
closing. If you want to turn, you can.
Acts chapter 13, verse 38, "...Be it known unto you therefore,
men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you
the forgiveness of sins. And by him all that believe are
justified from all things which you could not be justified by
the law of Moses." It goes right back to our Bible study, doesn't
it? Same message. Same message. Neither is there
salvation in any other, or there's no other name under heaven, given
among men, whereby we must be saved.