Ephesians 5:1-7 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. But fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not even be named among you, as is fitting for saints; neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks. For this you know, that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore do not be partakers with them.
We are to walk in love. But: “Only the regenerate can enter the kingdom of God, and these practices bear witness to an unregenerate heart, whatever professions may be made to the contrary.” (F. F. Bruce) The natural man thinks that he can stop sinning—that by reform he will make it through the Judgment.
They had to learn otherwise. God instituted the burnt offering as a free will offering. It is not something that you are required to do, but it is through participation in this act of worship that repentant sinners could find eternal life. “Now the Lord called to Moses, and spoke to him from the tabernacle of meeting, saying, “Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘When any one of you brings an offering to the Lord, you shall bring your offering of the livestock—of the herd and of the flock. If his offering is a burnt sacrifice of the herd, let him offer a male without blemish; he shall offer it of his own free will at the door of the tabernacle of meeting before the Lord. Then he shall put his hand on the head of the burnt offering, and it will be accepted on his behalf to make atonement for him. He shall kill the bull before the Lord; and the priests, Aaron’s sons, shall bring the blood and sprinkle the blood all around on the altar that is by the door of the tabernacle of meeting. ” (Lev 1:1-5)
The seekers of God killed the sacrifice at the door under the guidance and teaching of the priests. The messages is that their sins caused the death of the sacrifice. In Issues Magazine - A Messianic Jewish Perspective (5:7), Dr. Louis Golberg says "As the Israelites brought their animal substitute, they could exhibit one of three kinds of responses" which are still found in the church today. The first attitude that he spoke of was that of indifference. The second mind-set was ritual. He states: "Most Israelites exhibited a perfunctory attitude and merely went through the motions because this is what Moses asked them to do. Such folk were more interested in the practical affairs of life, making a living and family concerns. Yet God detested the degeneration of Temple worship into a ritualistic procedure. Many times the prophets singled out this one attitude. Isaiah in particular described how ‘worshipers’ were sure to bring their animals for sacrifice but their hearts were not repentant at all. (Isaiah 1:1-18)."
HOWEVER, explains Dr. Golberg, the third response is that of belief. "There were many in Israel who, upon bringing their sacrifice, became aware of the meaning of substitute atonement and what God wanted each one to learn in the process. The Torah was designed to be a schoolmaster to teach the great truth of the possibility of atonement, but the Spirit of God also worked in the hearts of unbelievers for those who became interested in spiritual matters, there came a time when the offering of the animals took on the meaning intended by God. Such a seeker then accepted by faith the principles [of atonement], internalizing them within his own heart. When he did so, he continued to bring his animals on the prescribed occasion, but he did so as a believer and therefore was part of the educational process of the Torah to teach others who did not know the Lord. Those Israelites who exhibited the response of belief were then considered a part of the remnant-believers, present in every generation, even in times of spiritual renewal when the numbers of believers were great."
Therefore be imitators of God as dear children… “In natural life, children bear the family likeness and should seek to uphold the family name. In spiritual life, we should manifest our Father to the world and seek to walk worthy of our dignity as His beloved 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... This is what Christ did. He loved us and gave Himself for us in death at Calvary… His gift is described as ‘an offering’ and ‘a sacrifice to God’; an offering is anything given to God; a sacrifice here includes the additional element of death. He was the true burnt offering.” (Believer’s Bible Commentary)
The innocent sacrifices “were stripped of their skins, their breasts were ripped open, their bowels were taken out (and washed with water, along with the legs), and their backbone was cleft… Then they were divided into quarters; so that outwardly and inwardly they were fully exposed…; and… they were laid in their natural order upon the altar and burnt (Lev 1:6-9),.” (A. W. Pink) It was inspected, because it had to be pure for it was to receive the just recompense of sin—consumption by fire. Likewise, Jesus’s life was perfect. God made “Him who knew no sin, to be sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” (2 Cor 5:21) John objected to baptizing Jesus because of His perfection saying, "I need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me?" Jesus replied "Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness."(Matt 3:14-15) And the questioning of Jesus prior to His execution was the substance of which this was only a type.
So surely when Jesus died on the cross of Calvary, it was to God as a sweet-smelling aroma. AND “You know, what I deserve is hell. And He’s given me life with Him now and forever, at the cost of the blood of His Son. What is it for me to forgive those who have wronged me? What is it for me to be kind to those who have been unkind to me? Oh, I want to live a life of sacrifice, so that my life is a sweet aroma offered up to God in thanksgiving for the goodness that He’s shown this hell-deserving sinner.” (Dr. J. Ligon Duncan III)
“You provide the fire. I’ll provide the sacrifice.
You provide the Spirit. I’ll open up inside.
Fill me up God. Fill me up God. FILL ME UP GOD. Fill me up.
Love of God overflow, permeate all my soul.” (Fill Me Up by United Pursuit Band)
Eph 5:7-16 Therefore do not be partakers with them for you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as CHILDREN OF LIGHT (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), finding out what is acceptable to the Lord. And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret. But all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light. Therefore He says: "Awake, you who sleep, arise from the dead, and Christ will give you light." (Isaiah 59:10; 60:2 paraphrases) See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
By faith in "One Greater than the temple" (Matthew 12:6), believers are priests and are made to be partakers of fellowship in the Holy Place of the Tabernacle. We may eat of the showbread, as David and his men did in 1 Samuel 21:6. Spiritually, we become partakers of the divine nature. (2 Peter 1:4) “But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;” (1 Peter 2:9)
“The substance of the material for the furniture of the Tabernacle was different in the Holy Place. In the outer court, brass was the prevailing material since it had to do with the judgment of sin. In the Holy Place, gold was the material that predominated. This was no accident or chance occurrence. Gold was the only object that set forth in such a visible way the deity of Christ…. the lampstand [was] made entirely of gold. The lampstand was the perfect symbol of Christ as the Son of God.” (J Vernon McGee) [Moreover] "The seven-in-one design of this lampstand also suggests the way in which the people of the Lord are to depend on Him for enlightenment. The multiple design symbolizes the fact that God is not only a source of light to His people but through them as well." [http://www.gospelcom.net/rbc] Jesus said, “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven." (Matt 5:14-16)
John saw One “like unto the Son of Man” by vision in Revelation 1. “And I turned to see the voice that spoke with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks; And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man” (Revelation 1:12,13). “The mystery of the seven stars which you saw in My right hand, and the seven golden lampstands: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands which you saw are the seven churches.” (Revelation 1:20)
Children of light… “It was our Lord who coined this great name for His disciples. Paul’s use of it is probably a reminiscence of the Master’s, and so is a hint of the existence of the same teachings as we now find in the existing Gospels, long before their day. Jesus Christ said, ‘Believe in the light, that ye may be the children of light’; and Paul gives substantially the same account of the way by which a man becomes a Son of the Light when he says, in the words preceding my text, ‘Ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord.’… Union with Him makes light…” (Alexander MacLauren)
And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them… “There can be no neutrality between the sons of light and the sons of darkness. As Hendriksen said: ‘Sin must be exposed.’ One is not being nice to a wicked man by endeavoring to make him feel what a fine fellow he is. The cancerous tumor of sin must be removed. It is not really an act of love to smooth things over, as if the terrible evil of the sons of disobedience is really not so bad.” (Coffman Commentary)
We find out “what is acceptable to the Lord” by a diligent and prayerful study of the Word of God. And once we find it, we are called like the prophets of old to be a worker of the "Repairer of the Breach, the Restorer of Streets to Dwell In" (Isa 58:12), as Isaiah and the remnant were in their generation after their exile ended. Our foundation is the apostle’s doctrine. “If anyone comes to you and does not bring this doctrine, do not receive him into your house nor greet him.” (2 John 1:10)
ISAIAH SAW THE CONDITION OF MANKIND UPON THE EARTH AT THE TME OF THE SECOND COMING AND PROPHESIED. “Then the LORD saw it, and it displeased Him that there was no justice. He saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor; therefore His own arm brought salvation for Him; and His own righteousness, it sustained Him. For He put on righteousness as a breastplate, and a helmet of salvation on His head; he put on the garments of vengeance for clothing, and was clad with zeal as a cloak. According to their deeds, accordingly He will repay, fury to His adversaries, recompense to His enemies; the coastlands He will fully repay. So shall they fear the name of the LORD from the west, and His glory from the rising of the sun; when the enemy comes in like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD will lift up a standard against him. ‘THE REDEEMER will come to Zion, AND TO THOSE WHO TURN FROM TRANSGRESSION IN JACOB,’ says the LORD. ‘As for Me,’ says the LORD, ‘this is My covenant with them: My Spirit who is upon you, and My words which I have put in your mouth, shall not depart from your mouth, nor from the mouth of your descendants, nor from the mouth of your descendants' descendants,’ says the LORD, ‘from this time and forevermore.’” (Isa 59:16-21)
“And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation. (Hebrews 9:27-28) “True, the Lord would come to Zion, but not to all the Jewish nation, only unto them that turn from transgression in Jacob. As Archer pointed out: 'Redeemer here is [~go'el], `kinsman-redeemer,' which involves a blood relationship (into which it would have been impossible for God to enter, except through the Incarnation of Christ.'” (Coffman Commentary) Yet it is the spiritual man who is a partaker of the blessing.
See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming THE TIME,… “There are two ancient Greek words used for ‘time’. One has the idea simply of day upon day and hour upon hour. The other has the idea of a definite portion of time, a time where something should happen. It is the difference between ‘time’ and ‘the time’…. ‘the time’… is a definite season of opportunity that Christians must redeem. This same word is translated ‘opportunity’ in Galatians 6:10…. You make the most of every opportunity for Jesus Christ… Because the days are evil. … Jesus spoke of a time when, many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. (Matt 24:11-12) Surely we are in those times, because the days are evil.” (David Guzik)
BASED ON THE REVELATION OF THE INCARNATION, ISAIAH CALLS: “Arise, shine; for your light has come! And the glory of the LORD is risen upon you. For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and deep darkness the people; but the LORD will arise over you, and His glory will be seen upon you. The Gentiles shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising.” (Isa 60:1-3) “The birth of Christ did indeed occur at a time of universal spiritual darkness… (1) The Gentile nations were sunk in the grossest and most shameful idolatry. (2) The Jewish nation was in no better position, despite their possession of God's Law, which they had formalized and perverted; and by their transgression of it dishonored God, leading to the blasphemy of God on their account by the whole Gentile world… (3) The vain philosophy of the Greeks and Romans provided no relief from the awful darkness of that era. Nations shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising… The mention of 'kings' coming to the brightness of the rising of that Light received a token fulfillment at the birth of Christ, when… the 'three Kings of Orient' came with gifts of gold, and frankincense, and myrrh; but the ultimate fulfillment came when the wisest and greatest of earth believed on Him and received His Word.” (Coffman Commentary)
Eph 5:17-21 Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another in the fear of God.
It’s God’s will that we be saved—that we be justified by faith— and that we continued down the road of sanctification (1 Thes 4:3), becoming more like Jesus as we walk with Him daily “and that ‘in everything,’ in the meantime, we should ‘give thanks’” (Jamieson-Fausset-Brown) “This is what real wisdom is. It is the contrast to being unwise. Our main understanding of the will of the Lord comes from a good knowledge of His Word.” (David Guzik)
And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation … “The act of dissipating or the condition of having been dissipated.” The message is that wine will make you feel better for a while, but after the effects are gone, your problems remain. Or as my pastor says, for a season we follow our favorite football team with all our minds, soul and strength … and voices. It takes our minds off of temporal thing, but this too is an idol of fleeting joys.
but be filled with the Spirit… the effects of which last forever. “How then can a believer be filled with the Spirit? The Apostle Paul does not tell us here in Ephesians; he merely commands us to be filled. But from other parts of the word, we know that in order to be filled with the Spirit we must: 1) Confess and put away all known sin in our lives (1 John 1: 5-9). It is obvious that such a Holy Person (Jesus) cannot work freely in a life where sin is condoned. 2) Yield ourselves completely to His control (Rom. 12: 1, 2). This involves the surrender of our will, our intellect, our body, our time, our talents, and our treasures. Every area of life must be thrown open to His dominion. 3) Let the word of Christ dwell in us richly (Col. 3: 16). This involves reading the word, studying it, and obeying it. When the word of Christ dwells in us richly, the same results follow (Col. 3: 16) as follow the filling of the Spirit (Eph. 5: 19). 4) Finally, we must be emptied of self (Gal. 2: 20). To be filled with a new ingredient a cup must first be emptied of the old. To be filled with Him, we must first be emptied of us.” (Believer’s Bible Commentary) We must be emptied of self and filled by the Spirit daily based on “private home religion” (J. C. Ryle)--- private Bible reading, prayer, fasting and walking with God, because we leak!
speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ… “The divine infilling opens the mouth to talk about the things of the Lord, and enlarges the heart to share these things with others…. The Spirit-filled life is a fountain, bubbling over with joy (Acts 13: 52). Zacharias is an illustration: when he was filled with the Holy Spirit, he sang with all his heart to the Lord (Luke 1: 67-79)…. A third result is thanksgiving: giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Where the Spirit reigns, there is gratitude to God, a deep sense of appreciation, and a spontaneous expression of it. It is not occasional, but continual—not only for the pleasant things, but for all things. Anyone can be thankful for sunshine; it takes the power of the Spirit to be thankful for the storms of life.” (Bible Believer’s Commentary)
submitting to one another… “Submission in practical relationships 5:21-6-9. Another result of the Spirit’s filling, besides praise and thanksgiving is submission. This is a statement of what we should do in our earthly relationships. ‘In contrast with pagan self-seeking and self-assertion’ (Salmond, cf. 1 Peter 5:5).” (The Wycliffe Bible Commentary)
1 Peter 5:5 Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” [Proverbs 3:34]
in the fear of God … My pastor says that church members should be jockeying for lower esteem rather than higher. This does not mean that we do not use our gifts and that we do not do the work which God gives to us for the edifying of the body. It just means that we do not do it for our own glory but rather for the glory of God, seeking the elevation of the reverence for our brothers or sisters, based on a healthy reverence for Jesus due to the coming Judgment.
Eph 5:28-33 So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church. For we are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones. “FOR THIS REASON A MAN SHALL LEAVE HIS FATHER AND MOTHER AND BE JOINED TO HIS WIFE, AND THE TWO SHALL BECOME ONE FLESH.” (GENESIS 2:24) This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church. Nevertheless let each one of you in particular so love his own wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.
“And Yahweh God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept; and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place. Then the rib which Yahweh God had taken from man He made into a woman, and He brought her to the man.
And Adam said:
“This is now bone of my bones
And flesh of my flesh;
She shall be called woman,
Because she was taken out of man.”
THEREFORE A MAN SHALL LEAVE HIS FATHER AND MOTHER AND BE JOINED TO HIS WIFE, AND THEY SHALL BECOME ONE FLESH. And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed. (Gen2:21-25)
Eve came from Adam’s rib. They were indeed one flesh. And in answering a question about the how the Torah considers divorce, Jesus refers the inquirers to Genesis 2:24 highlighted above in the Creation narrative. Jesus then adds: “Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.” (Mark 10:9) Paul is still exhorting men, and applies this to their marriages. He explains that when they got married, they became one in the flesh with their wives. He explains how natural it is for us to love ourselves… and how, in the spiritual realm, we should love our wives in the same way. Again, as a motivation, he explains that this is what Jesus does for those joined to Him by faith. We are members of His body “of His flesh and of His bone.” Paul does not pretend to understand it, but says that it is true nonetheless. What Paul can understand is that God wants married men to love their wives in the same way that Christ loves His church.
This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church….“When Eve was formed, a deep sleep fell upon Adam, and Eve was taken from his side. In the redemptive act on the cross, the deep sleep of death came upon Christ; his side was pierced; blood and water came forth, these emblems of the two great Christian ordinances of baptism and the Lord's supper, making it possible to see (in a figurative sense) that the church came forth from the side of Christ. Satan beguiled Eve, and… the church, luring her into the great apostasy. There are extensive analogies in this, one of them appearing particularly in these verses, that being the oneness of Adam with his bride forming a prophecy of the oneness of Christ and the church.” (Coffman)
“How should we be feeling? We should feel exactly as any woman who becomes engaged to be married feels. We should be looking forward to the great day, and longing for it, and living for it.” (Lloyd-Jones) Until He comes for His Bride, let us consider our wives as one with us. Let us not think that we are superior. Are you more spiritual? Great, but it is only what is expected of you. Are you less spiritual than your wife? Then draw nigh to the Lord through His Word and take your rightful place.
Your spirit of love will speaks God’s Word to even your children. Just as the Word of God cleanses the church, the conduct of a righteous man affects his household. “For the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband; otherwise your children would be unclean, but now they are holy.” (1 Cor 7:14) “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.” (Acts 16:31) Exhibit the love of Christ in your homes.
And let the wife see that she respects her husband.