Sermon Title: The Fragrant Aroma of Christ’s Sacrifice and its Implications for the Christian.
Communion Sunday
13th August 2023
Sermon Texts and Notes
Main Text:
“Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.” (Eph 5:1-2)
The significance of sacrifice being described as a sweet-smelling aroma to the Lord.
“Then Noah built an altar to the LORD and, taking some of all the clean animals and clean birds, he sacrificed burnt offerings on it. The LORD smelled the pleasing aroma and said in his heart: “Never again will I curse the ground because of humans, even though every inclination of the human heart is evil from childhood. And never again will I destroy all living creatures, as I have done.” (Gen 8:20-21).
Father Abraham has many Sons, spiritually speaking (remember the Chorus), but in terms of earthly descendants, Noah has far more (the entire human race post-flood).
“Now the sons of Noah who went out of the ark were Shem, Ham, and Japheth. And Ham was the father of Canaan. These three were the sons of Noah, and from these, the whole earth was populated.” (Gen 9:18-19)
Sermon point from Genesis 8:20-21
The phrase ‘the pleasing aroma’ means God was pleased and accepted Noah’s sacrifice on behalf of himself and his descendants. This and similar expressions are used throughout the Old Testament, especially in the first five books, to describe God’s acceptance and pleasure in an offered sacrifice.
How does this apply to Jesus and His Death on the Cross? Paul uses the same sacrificial language regarding the death of Christ on the Cross.
- Jesus’ death was ‘an offering and sacrifice.’
- It was Christ’s will to lay down his life for the Christian. Paul states that Jesus ‘loved us and [gave] himself for us.’
But why did Christ need to die? Why did Jesus willingly offer up himself as a sacrifice?
- The answer is that Jesus died as an ‘offering and sacrifice’ for sin.
“For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures…” (1 Cor 15:3)
Previously Paul states
- “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace” (Eph 1:7)
- “But now in Christ Jesus, you who once were far off (Note: Paul previously states the Christian was once without Christ, excluded from the people of God, having no hope in the world, without God, but now) have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
- For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity. And He came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near. For through Him, we both have access by one Spirit to the Father.” (Eph 2:13)
And the description of Christ’s death as a sweet-smelling aroma highlights God’s satisfaction in the death of Jesus as the all-sufficient atonement for sin. The proof of God’s acceptance of Christ’s sacrificial death for sin is the resurrection of Jesus from the dead.
What are the implications of this for the people of Christ?
By the grace of God, who has poured out his love in our hearts through the Holy Spirit (Rom 5:5), and by whom he is transforming us into the image of his precious Son (2 Cor 3:18), we are to imitate the love of the Father and the Son in our relationship with fellow believers and our neighbours. Hence Paul instructs: “Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us” (Eph 5:1)
Earlier in the Epistle, Paul prays: “that [God] would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height— to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.”
Imitating God is bearing the family resemblance.
The believer is nothing less than a child of God. As such, the child desires to resemble our Heavenly Father and the Lord Jesus, our Elder Brother. (Heb 2:11)
To imitate the Father and the Son is summed up by Paul is taking off the old man, being renewed in mind, and putting on the new man “created to be like God—truly righteous and holy.”
Paul describes the family resemblance in surrounding texts. Why not read Ephesians 4:17 through to the end of the 5th chapter to learn more about the bearing of the family resemblance?
For a start note:
- The mouth should only be used for truth – note the connection with verses 29 and 31.
- Don’t allow anger to become sinful, for example, lead to pride, uncontrollable rage or allow it to fester. Isn’t it interesting, just a few verses on, Paul describes how to deal with anger: “be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.”