Ephesians 4:32-5:2

A Sweet Smelling Savor

Introduction

1. Sweet smelling savor…in Lev. 1-3 it was a sacrifice whose aroma ‘smelled good’ to God.

2. Do you have a life that smells good to God?

3. In Ephesians 4:32-5:2 we discover a life that smells good to God.

I. OUR PURSUIT

II. OUR PATTERN

III. OUR PRESENTATION

Do you have a life that smells good to God? When is God pleased?

I. GOD’S PLEASURE IS SEEN IN OUR PURSUIT

3 pursuits are listed in these 3 verses…3 positive commands:

(1) Commitment to a long term way of doing something…

(2)A command to keep on doing an action as one’s general habit or life style…

(3)Repeat each time this situation arises…

  1. Be or Become vs. 32…there is always room for growth. They had to abandon one to embrace the other.
  1. Kind to one another…this is gracious or a sweet and generous disposition. It is the opposite of harsh, hard or sharp.
  2. Tenderhearted…at times Christians hurt. This is compassion or a feeling for others.
  3. Forgiving one another…at times Christians will wrong you. It means to put away or to treat the offending party graciously, with forgiveness. Let them go!

When these are evident, that is when we smell good to God!

  1. Be or Become 5:1 Followers of God
  1. This is a mental condition.
  2. They had to abandon one mental condition and make way for the opposite.
  3. Followers of God…Followers is imitators. The only way we can become imitators of God is for the Lord Jesus to live His life through us!
  4. From the Greek word, we get our word mimic. You say, “That’s impossible!” This is not a renewing of self-effort. Unless 3:16-20 is practiced (strengthened by His Spirit in the inner man; Christ may dwell in your heart…might be filled with all the fullness of God; according to the power that works in us), we cannot and will not be mimics of God. We must submit to the controlling influence of the Spirit. We must be dependent upon the Holy Spirit to make us like Him.

That is when we smell good to God!

  1. Therefore…we must see it in the context and it flows in two directions:

*The Opposite Characteristics of God (31)

*The Obvious Characteristics of God (32)

C. Walk in Love 5:2

1. Walk…this is your lifestyle. It is where you go, who you see and what you do.

2. Love is agape love. It is self-giving love that loves regardless.God is love. He loves

those who curse Him or those who praise Him. The world defines love in terms of

what they can get. God loves even if He gets nothing in return. Walk in love.

That is when we smell good to God!

Do you have a life that smells good to God? When is God pleased?

II. GOD’S PLEASURE IS SEEN IN OUR PATTERN

3 patterns are given. There are 3 as after each pursuit or command. Christ gave Himself v.2.

  1. We Are Never More Like Jesus Than When We Forgive 31
  1. Forgiving as God for Christ’s sake has forgiven you.
  2. Just as the depths of God’s love is shown by how much He has forgiven, the depths of our love is shown by how much we forgive. The depths of our love is also shown by how much we know we have been forgiven.
  3. Father, forgive them for they know not what they do. Jesus forgave: Freely…Fully…Finally… We must forgive (let it go) in this manner.

That is when we smell good to God!

  1. We Are Never More Like Jesus Than When We Love 5:1
  1. Walk in love asdear children. “You sure look like your father.”
  2. We became children of God by receiving His Son. But as many as received Him, to that one, He gave the ability to become children of God, even to those who believe…Children experiencing His love are to express His love.
  3. As His children we possess His nature. He wants to reproduce His character in us. By yielding to the Holy Spirit, Christ is at home in our hearts, we are then dominated by the fullness of God…

That is when we smell good to God!

  1. We Are Never More Like Jesus Than When We Die 5:2
  1. As Christ has loved us and given Himself (self sacrificing) up for us (in the interest of others) and offering and sacrifice to God (for the glory of God)
  2. I must die! Christ didn’t die as a martyr. He surrendered Himself to the will of God, which meant the cross.
  3. It is this spirit of giving up self sacrificially and voluntarily which we are urged to imitate.

I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live, and yet not I but Christ lives in me, and the life I now live I live by faith in the Son of God who love me and gave himself for me. (Gal 2:20) I die to my rights…my way…my importance…my independence!

Have Thine Own Way Lord…Have Thine Own way…I am the clay…mold me…make me after your will.

That is when we smell good to God!

Do you have a life that smells good to God? When is God pleased?

III. GOD’S PLEASURE IS SEEN IN OUR PRESENTATION 5:2b

An offering and sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savor

  1. An offering and sacrifice to God…it was an offering because it was brought willingly.
  2. A sacrifice to God…a sacrificial offering (it will cost you something) a sweet savor was a burnt offering. We stand at the Brazen Altar. The sacrifice is slain. Then it is burned until it was totally consumed, and the fumes would rise as a sweet smelling savor.
  3. For a sweet smelling savor…Then is when we smell good to God! It is a picture of complete surrender. As God sees self being sacrificed and burnt away and nothing is left but the character of Jesus…Then is when we smell good to God!

Then nothing is left to receive glory, and all we can say is “What a Great God!”