Intro: Question: What is your favorite Fragrance?
A)Lady
Certain perfume love to wear makes you feel
Beautiful
Favorite
Flower: A Rose / Smell of a Clean house - /
Hubbies Colonge
B)
The way to a Guys
..Stomach - Smell of Steaks that have been marinated in teriyaki sauce
grilling on the Barbecue /
1) Fresh baked Chocolate
chip cookies/ Brownie
C) True we all have our Favorite Fragrances : But we
also have those Fragrances that we dont care for at all
1)
Garlic Breath / Messy diapers / Rotten eggs
..
D)
We all have those fragrances that we really
enjoy and then there are the ones that we dont enjoy at all!!!!
But have you ever
thought about this: You are a Fragrance: True Physically You have a specific Body Odor
A)A
Blind persons sense of smell can be so sharp that they can distinguish
people by their Body Odor if around them enough
B)
You can walk in the room & they smell you Oh
Rob is here today
It
is True Physically we all have an odor
that emanates from your life
A)But
Spiritually you have a Smell as well / a spiritual Fragrance that is going to emanate from your life
B)We have all experienced
Bad B.O. body oder
1) but there is also such a
thing as Bad S.O. spiritual order
C)How you smell Spiritually
will depend upon your closeness to Christ fellowship w/ Christ
Now here in 2 Corinthians Chs 1-2 Paul is
responding to accusations made about him
by some in Corinth who were against Paul and his ministry.
A)Paul had delayed in his
coming back to them.
B)So these men who didnt
like Paul were saying Look Paul is not a man of his word
1)Paul doesnt keep his
promises Paul doesnt keep his word
C)So if Pauls personal word
cannot be trusted
1)How can we trust his
message about Jesus.
D)Plus they were also
accusing Paul of being heavy handed in his dealings with pp.
So
Paul has been responding to these accusations.
A)I find that interesting This was a personal attack on
Paul
B)It is interesting to me that
Paul responds to it.
C)See others in the Bible
like David who had false accusations made about them- they didnt respond.
D)David is a great example
of trusting the Lord / letting God be his defense
1)Letting the true colors of Saul his accuser be revealed over time.
Paul
on the other hand addresses the accusations head on.
Proverbs 26:4, Do
not answer a fool according to his folly, Lest you also be like him. But then he says in the very next verse Answer a fool according to his
folly, Lest he be wise in his own eyes.
This tells me different circumstances dictate different biblical responses!
Paul
responds to the accusations I believe NOT to protect his own image and
integrity.
A)But to protect the message
of the gospel.
B)He responds to the
accusations because the integrity of the message that He preached was at
stake and that was worth fighting for.
So
this is how we have seen Paul so far answer these accusations.
A)Ch.1 Paul calls their
attention to his past behavior with them Saying:
12 For our
boasting is this: the testimony of our conscience that we conducted ourselves
in the world in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom but by
the grace of God, and more abundantly toward you.
B)He hadnt changed his tune
He was still doing ministry the way that He always had.
C)Ch. 2 He calls their
attention to His love for them.
1)He really didnt want to
make another painful visit
D)He already had to rebuke
them and challenge them to deal with sin in the Church
1)He was anxiously waiting
for Titus to return with hopefully a good report from his last letter.
E)He was somewhat relieved
when God opened a door for ministry in Troas that further delayed him
Now despite all of Pauls Struggles & challenges
he faced in ministry Paul saw in the midst of it all the Faithfulness of God
A)
Notice how
he describes it in v. 14-16 thanks be to God who ALWAYS leads us in triumph in Christ,
B)This
is a great truth to grab a hold of today: You set your mind to follow Christ
Yield to Christ
1)He ALWAYS leads us in
triumph
C)Not sometimes / not
occasionally / not when he feels like it ALWAYS
.TRIUMPH
D) We
are more than Conquerors through Him who loves us. Romans 8:37
E)In the Christian life we
are not fighting for victory but from a position of victory
1)Jesus has one He is
leading us to Victory
Romans 8:28
And
we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to
those who are the called according to His purpose.
F)It might take SOME time
but eventually we find ourselves seeing the good seeing the Victory.
So Paul declares: 14 Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in
Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place.
15 For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved
and among those who are perishing. 16 To the one we are the aroma of death
leading to death, and to the other the aroma of life leading to life. And who
is sufficient for these things?
A)Roman Victory Parade
Triumphal entry.
B)It was a
custom in the Roman Empire, when a conquering general returned
Victoriously from a campaign over one of the enemies of Rome
C)That if he
had conquered an enemy of 5,000 or more
1)the Roman Senate
would meet and grant him a
Triumph. A
VICTORY PARADE
E)It was quite a Processional { Read about
First,
there came the state
officials and the Senate(always the politicians first.)
A)Then there came the trumpeters, who were
heralding what was coming.
B)Then came the spoils taken from the conquered land, carted along
1)Then there followed the white bull, which was gonna be offered
as a sacrifice to the gods.
C)Then there came the Conquered , the enemy princes, leaders, and generals in chains
And then
there came the musicians.
And
then there came the priests swinging their censors
with the sweet-smelling incense
burning.
A)And
then came the general himself in a chariot drawn by four
horses.
B) he was clad in a purple
tunic embroidered with gold and palm leaves,
1)
over it a purple toga marked out with golden stars.
C)In
his hand he had an ivory scepter with a Roman eagle on the top of it, and over
his head a slave held the crown of Jupiter. And after him rode his family.
D)And
finally, at the very end, came the army wearing
all their decorations and shouting, "Triumph!
Triumph! Triumph!" I mean, it's a pretty impressive
scene.
E) The Streets would be lined w/ flowers so that when the army stepped on them
their scent would fill the air. So The wonderful smell was everywhere.
Now To those
conquering soldiers who had been in the field so long
Aa)that sweet aroma in the air would be the
fragrance of life & Victory signaling a great
triumphant feast was about to begin!!!
A)But to the Conquered Aroma of death and defeat
Humiliation Execution
awaited many of them.
Now Paul had this scene in mind as he talked about the fragrance of
Christ being manifested in his life & ministry
A)Paul definitely has in mind his preaching the message of the Knowledge
of Christ.
B)But He is also thinking about more than that.
C)To those whom God is drawing The message of the
gospel of Jesus Christ is life
1)It is like a breath of
fresh air after trying so many things that leave a person panting for
more
D)Message of Jesus Filled with Life
1)Know God and be forgiven cleansed
But to the person
who doesnt want to hear that message rejects that message aroma of death
A)Because it condemns them reminds them they are
sinners and there is no answer in themselves
B) Give your heart to Jesus and be saved
1)reject him and suffer the consequences they
dont want to hear it.
C)Hell is a real place and real pp end up there for
rejecting Gods love and Gift Jesus
C)But To those
who hear & believe, it is a life unto life aroma. {Same Sun melts wax hardens the clay
But Paul isnt
just referring to his preaching He is referring to his life the way He
lived
A)The phrase among you in v.15 is key Speaks of
lifestyle this is how we conducted ourselves
B)This has been his argument His life and conduct
among them.
1)The Manner of His ministry: Among them
C)The character of Christ emanating from his life
1)The more Paul was pressed
and crushed the greater the fragrance like those flowers
D) The same
holds true for us - We all have the potential to be the fragrance of Christ to
those we come in contact w/
1)
To
those who were believers Aroma of Life / Unbelievers
the aroma of Death
Now why this distinction & Contrast:
Why would we be the aroma of death to the Unbeliever
A)I think the simple answer is
CONVICTION in the gospel of John Jesus says a similar thing using
illustration of light & darkness
B)John 3:18-21 Jesus says There: the light
has come into the world & men loved darkness rather than light they hate
the light because deeds were evil
1)the light exposes their evil deeds
C) When an unbeliever or a backslidden Christian
comes in contact with a genuine believer
1)It is
uncomfortable it is convicting
D)The Light of Jesus in your life shines on their
sin
1)Exposes them
So to the Unbeliever living in
Sin the Fragrance of Christ in your life is the aroma of death to them
A)They are living in the Cow Pasture /smelling the manure pile / they have become content w/ the smell there they dont notice
it anymore:
B)Like People who live in Bakersfield How do you
handle that smell? WHAT ?
1)
You
have to get them out of the cow pasture for them to start appreciating fresh
air.
C)The person who is all dirty sweaty and stinky
doesnt need perfume He needs a shower
When I was in Jr. high / Playing Basketball game one day : sweated
Prefusely Stunk of B.O.
A)After
the game I had to be some where so I was in a hurry & I decided I wasnt
going to Shower / Ill just put on some cologne
B) Street Clothes / Old
Spice neck & Body a little extra{ Didnt work
1)It
made it worse { Aroma of Death was present in me
That is what a lot of pp are doing today. They have the stench of sin on
them. foul
A)They are trying to clean
up their acts do good things to make them smell better.
B)They might look better
new look clean clothes
1)New smell - Fragrance of
the Flesh
C)Fragrance of pride
Their good deeds I am a good person now
1)Problem is they have
never dealt with the stink of sin Foul oder to God
Listen when someone needs a Shower all the
perfume or Cologne in the world is only going to make matters worse
A)Jesus invites us to come to Him and be cleansed
B)Washed in his blood sin stench is removed
Cleansed forgiven forgotten
C)When someone gives their heart to Christ allows
Him to cleanse it and make it new It is SWEET
1)When
they get around
others who have been washed & cleansed It is the Fragrance or Life
D) Reminder of What Christ has done / & Can do in the life of a Sinner
saved by Grace
1){ Reminder of How great HE IS!!!
That is what Paul
was about Helping pp get clean get saved get set free. V.17 takes us full circle his conduct and
approach to ministry:
17 For we are not, as so many, peddling
the word of God; but as of sincerity, but as from God, we speak in the sight of
God in Christ.
There were those
in Pauls day as there are in our day using the word to get rich off of it
A)Using ministry to Pad their pockets or to promote
their agendas - - Manipulating pp.
B)That is the most despicable thing that a Pastor
can ever do in my opinion- They used be
removed
C)Using Gods pp rather than serving horrible
Those
who peddle the word often tell pp what they want to hear instead of what
they need to hear!
A)I think that Paul
definitely has that in mind here because the word he uses for Peddler is
interesting
B)it's from a Greek verb kapeleu which means to corrupt.
It
came to refer to a con man, a street hustler selling a knock off a cheap imitation of the real thing.
C)The most common ones were
those who sold watered-down wine.
1)Today
those who sell a water down gospel -
Feel good - Not Paul TRUTH - aroma life
death
Once we have been
saved- how do we maintain the Fragrance of Christ in our Lives? 3 ways
#1 Through WORSHIP John 12 Mary
A)Jesus is w/ his disciples in Bethany home of Mary
. Laz / Sitting
around the table after supper Mary does something there that is incredible : Jn12:3
Then Mary took a pound of very costly oil of spikenard, anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil. John 12:3
B) Very
Costly act of Worship: Broke a Vase / Very humble wiped feet w/ her hair: The
Fragrance that was on Jesus was on Mary
C) Every where that Mary went she smelled like the Lord / She took w/ her
the Fragrance of Christ
1)
True
heart felt worship does that
D)Worship has a way of getting us to focus on the
right things.
Yesterday: Wife needed
me to run by Walmart
A)The worst place to go on a Sat. is Costco - Walmart has to be 2nd
B)Make matters worse I was in a hurry company
coming over from out of town
1)Only had to grab a few things Speedy checkout
C)Called that for a
reason: checker slow motion
1)Guy in front 3 things taking his time card out
of the wallet Puts back see card ID
D)The Fragrance of Christ was not emanating from my
life at that moment.
Life can be like that Worship helps bring us back
Worship gets our minds in the right place
A)Sometime we get Frustrated
focused what God is not doing John the Baptist in prison
B)Worship helps us to
focus instead of what He has done and is doing
C)So the first
thing that is going to cause our lives to maintain the Fragrance of Christ is
the degree that we are drawing near in
worship
D)Marys
good example the Fragrance that was on Jesus was now on her!
#2 Through
the Word: We bear the Fragrance of Christ as we dig into the Lords Word.
Jesus said you are already
clean because of the word I have spoken to you. John 15:3
A)The
life of the Lord is transfused to us thru his word
B))
Every smell a babys head after a bath Baby Shampoo - comes out smelling fresh
& clean smelling like that Shampoo
1)
When
we bathe in the Word of God We come forth from that time smelling like the
Lord
C)) Disciples
had been w/ Jesus !!!!! { Where have you been ? Who have you been with
Listen
I can get so fired up listening to Rush/ Hannity/ Beck/ Tell been with fox news
- than Jesus
A)We need to watch that we
are not known for what we are against instead of what we are for.
B)Jesus His glory Pp saved
lives changed
C)I am for Pro
life{ Express that in two different ways
1) I can go picket in front
of a place where they are performing abortions yell and scream
D)Everyone
will Know I am against abortion
Or
I can go volunteer at Birth Choice or PRC
A)Because I am for life
includes the life and heart of the mother -
I want her know God loves her
B)He loves that baby He
has a plan for both of them.
C)The 2nd
approach is far more like Jesus
1)Only happens / becomes a
part of who we are as we spend time with Him in the Word.
D)His fragrance becomes my
fragrance His heart my heart see pp the way that He does.
# 3 Through obedience:
Called to walk in Love Ephesians 5:1
5:1 Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. 2 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.
A)Walk in Love: 2nd
greatest command: Love one another as I have loved you.
B)Jesus laid down His life
for others!
1)Sought
to serve others. Came not to be served but to serve
.. Ransom for many!
C)One of the most
predominant fragrances in the world today is the fragrance of self Me
D)How
can this benefit me how can this promote me what will this do for me.
E)When we are walking in the
Love of Christ the opposite is true How can I serve you bless you
1)Build you up!
Some
of you here today: Being pressed feel like one of those flowers being crushed
A)Remember
Him who was crushed for you Jesus
B)Press into Him in worship
today
1)Draw
near to Him in the word this week
C)He is faithful as you are
crushed His fragrance is going to be defused from you. Life to others
1)Always
leads us in Victory
D)Walk in His Love Pray His eyes and heart!