The Whole Body, Part 5: The Nose

Well this morning we're back in the series that we began a few weeks ago this idea of the body being whole sound mature and healthy we've been using as a banner text for that series title

Ephesians 4 the Desire that Paul has for a church body to grow up in all things into him who is the head

Christ from whom the whole body joined and knit together by what every joint supplies

According to the effect of working by which every part does its share Causes the growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love

So that's been our focus and we've worked our way down from following the introduction from the head to the eyes

Last week the ears and this morning the nose I'd love to know

Where you think I was going or what you think is coming after that and I wonder if nose wasn't on the short list of What you thought would be looking at as far as spiritual body parts go

But I think scripture has a lot to say about the nose or perhaps we could say has a lot to say about the sense

Of smell and that's what we're gonna be looking at this morning And before I move into Romans 12

I just want to tell you how I began to think about or approach the idea of a whole nose a healthy sound mature

Nose, what does it mean to have a healthy nose? What does it mean to have an unhealthy nose or a nose that's not quite performing its full capacity its full function

Well, I think about it in this way There are at least two reasons that our noses don't work as they should at least two reasons that we can't smell in The way or smell the things that we ought to be able to smell one of those reasons is within the nose itself and one of those reasons is around the nose the

Environment of the atmosphere of the nose and I think where we're going this morning We'll be able to look at each of those and as you come back

Lord willing tonight We'll be able to discuss these things more fruitfully the first reason that we can't smell

Let's just begin with that around or outside of the nose. It's the atmosphere If you are familiar with a certain smell you become what we call nose blind

In other words, it's become so commonplace to you so familiar that your mind almost deletes it you no longer recognize it as a scent or as a smell if someone buys the same brand of Cologne and they wear it for a decade.

They no longer smell that cologne In fact, their closest family members probably no longer smell that cologne, but everyone else does

And like a cat they know who's you know, who's been in the territory they smell and do that weird square jaw thing

So we go nose blind if something's common in our atmosphere. We actually don't pick up on it.

We don't smell it We we hardly even notice it. That's a sign of our nose not functioning in the way.

It should the atmosphere is Is actually blinding our sense of smell?

The other thing that happens to our noses is we become unhealthy ourselves We become sick and what happens when you get especially this time of year a cold the sickness the flu

Your nose just puffs up turns bright red You can't breathe through it you have to sort of breathe through your mouth you have sleep apnea

Somehow it's fully clogged and running at the same time It's like the worst feeling in the world and if your nose is stuffy if you have those symptoms, you can't smell anything

You can't smell anything it's easy to have a Child that hasn't been potty trained when you have a runny nose or a stuffy nose like I could deal with this all day long

So these are the two things the the atmosphere the things around us that we go nose blind to we can no longer smell correctly

Or if we're unhealthy in ourselves if we're sick if our nose is clogged

We're going to talk about perhaps even tonight. What what clogs might be pride?

Envy all other dynamics that might clog our ability to smell correctly

We of course as a church want to pay attention to our

Aroma our fragrance unto the Lord and not only to one another but also to those outside of the church

How we smell the aroma we give off the fragrance the air of the church our worship being a fragrant aroma to God Our graces and virtues and gifts being a sense of the aroma the fragrance in the air of our body

And that matters not just for our body But also for those around us outside of us those observing us even in our daily lives

So there's a lot to say about the sense of smell Ancient travelers would say of the city of Rome.

You could smell it before you could see it That's not a compliment by the way

Some some would say that of cities certain city I was about to Besmirch a local city and I won't but it's a city that you could smell before you could see

Oh, I think we're nearing the city borders. I can smell the water treatment plant That was the idea of ancient

Rome. You knew you were close to it because of the odor it was giving off It's not a good thing for a church to be

Giving off a foul odor and before people can even really see us or be around us They're choking as it were on that foul air a church has to pay attention

To its atmosphere to its fragrance to its aroma So for our body to have a healthy nose, we must be able to detect our scent.

We can't be nose blind We can't afford to be nose blind We need a healthy functioning ability to smell rightly

To smell things that are foul to smell things that are sweet to know the kind of aroma and fragrance that is not only pleasing

To God but potentially attractive to those that he is drawing to himself So we ought to be sensitive

To the things that are pleasing or lovely in his sight the very things That God calls a pleasing aroma or a lovely fragrance

This will mean and I'm tipping my hat now to where we're going in Romans 12 This will mean that we individually present our bodies as a living sacrifice

Knowing that though we have individual bodies to lay down and serve him with we also are members one of another we also are a corporate body and Corporately to we are to lay our corporate lives down in service to him as a pleasing aroma as a fragrant scent

And this is held together. I think in Romans 12 1 through 5 now the language of center fragrance isn't there

But when we start talking about sacrifice, especially self -sacrifice, we'll see there's a lot of scripture that speaks to sacrifice as a fragrance

So we'll just begin with Romans 12 1 through 5 Paul writes I beseech you therefore brethren by the mercies of God remember in chapter 11

He closed with this glorious doxology in light of the wisdom and majesty of God's plan of redemption

And he says in light of that turning in a whole new section of ethical import in Romans 12

I beseech you therefore brethren by these mercies of God that you present your bodies a living sacrifice

Holy acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service pay attention to that word acceptable

What is an acceptable sacrifice a pleasing sacrifice and do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind that you may prove what is good and Acceptable there it is again and perfect will of God for I say through the grace given to me

That everyone who is among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think but to think soberly

As God has dealt to each one a measure of faith for as we have many members in one body but all the members do not have the same function so we being many are one body in Christ and individually members one of another

So he begins with the individual you lay your life down to be a pleasing sacrifice

To God and then he reminds them as you do this you are doing it as a member of the body the body of Christ Why am

I using this passage to talk about scent fragrance a functioning nose?

Well because it connects our individual bodies to the body in terms of sacrifice in Terms of service in terms of the things that are pleasing

So When I'm looking at our corporate schnoz for lack of a better term, I want us to be thinking about service

Sacrifice what we began to talk about two weeks ago with the eyes this idea of other

Oriented esteem that we wouldn't think of ourselves too. Highly Romans 12. In fact, we would think of others better than ourselves

Philippians 2 This is a way we're gonna start thinking about and unpacking what it means to have a healthy nose

To have a smell check to not go noseblind now We opened our service with Psalm 45

Psalm 45 is a messianic psalm. It talks about the glories of this King Who somehow is exalted over all and is spoken of with almost divine grandeur?

You are fairer than the sons of men grace is poured out upon your lips Pay attention to this language of anointing and what is he being anointed with?

Grace is poured upon your lips. Therefore. God has blessed you forever. Your throne.

Oh God is forever and ever This exalted figure is being addressed as God Your throne.

Oh God is forever and ever a scepter of righteousness is the scepter of your kingdom You love righteousness.

You hate wickedness Therefore God your God Oh God has anointed you with the oil of gladness more than your companions

You see he's poured out grace upon him. He's poured out this oil of gladness

And what's the result of this all your garments are scented with myrrh and aloes and cash out of the ivory palaces?

Here's this image of a king and all of his glory Grace has been poured out upon him

Gladness has anointed him and the result is his clothing is saturated with this glorious fragrance aloes myrrhs

The wealthiest most exotic most exuberant fragrances Now why is that significant in Psalm 45 well the body of Christ is to smell glorious That's what

Psalm 45 is saying. There's to be a saturation of a glorious well -pleasing fragrance something costly

Something sacrificial The other place in Scripture that we read of this

Rich scent of myrrh and aloes in fact 70 pot 75 pounds worth of it is in John 19 when

Jesus has completed his sacrifice and is in the tomb and Their myrrh and aloes are are packed around his body prior to the resurrection you see his sacrifice was a well -pleasing fragrance to God our

Sacrifice our service to God is a well -pleasing fragrance to God If you don't understand it from Psalm 45 or John 19

You see it from the very beginning when you come to Noah in Genesis chapter 8 as he comes out of the ark

Talk about a negative smell. Can you mean can you imagine being packed into that boat with all of those animals for that long?

I'm not much of a farm boy I think I was meant to be a city slicker But I like the small -town life and even just going to some of your homes that have animals

I can I'm like, whoa, I have to kind of adjust a little bit I'm not used to fertilizer and hay and chicken feed and whatnot

But I can tell it means nothing to the you know to the homesteader to the country lifer

That's just you know mud and trucks and country music well, you can imagine

Noah finally getting fresh air and The first thing that he does rightly so is he builds an altar to God and here you have pre

Levitical worship it's described in this way as a sacrifice a burnt offering and when

God smelled that aroma it soothed him and he vowed that he would never destroy the earth by floodwaters again and Here you have all the way and that all the way back to Genesis chapter 8 toward the very beginning of Scripture this connection of sacrifice to aroma

Sacrifice to fragrance it soothed God it as it were turned away his wrath

We know that that wasn't just burnt meat Don't approach God as though you're offering something him to him that he needs

The cattle of a thousand hills belongs to him. So it's not burnt meat. God's not a man that he requires oxen and goats

But but rather it was this Foreshadowing of the ultimate offering the ultimate sacrifice out of God's own beloved son

Keep reading in Genesis and see that with Abraham offering up Isaac And you see there it's the sacrifice

It's the nature of devotion to God absolute faith in God a total self disavowal

I'm giving myself over to you Lord and that to the Lord is his pleasing fragrance. It's a beautiful fragrance

Not my life for myself, but I lay it down willingly. No one can take it from me

In fact, I'm willing to lose my life because Lord you will give it back to me. I lay it down freely of my own will

It's that sacrificial nature that devotion that faith that love for God and fellow man

Becomes this fragrance as it were in the very nostrils of God to use this anthropomorphic language

So instead of merely saying God was pleased with the burnt offering there in Genesis 8 21

We read the Lord smelled a smoothie a soothing aroma And that pointed all the way to his son the well pleasing sacrifice of Christ Now Paul Brings us to consider how our sacrifice our service our concern for others our love for others

Is actually in the same way a sweet smelling aroma to God Ephesians 5 1 and 2

Therefore Paul writes be imitators of God like dear children and walk in love

Just as Christ also loved us and gave himself for us in Offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling aroma

You see that's connected again Love in this way be selfless in this way be sacrificial in this way

Because in so doing you will be like Christ you will offer to God a sweet smelling fragrance

Your lives will become fragrant with as it were the very sacrificial love of Christ himself

So this means that whatever I offer to God It's to be part of a life built upon devotion

My whole aim is to please him my whole desire is to devote myself to him in faith

I lay my life down for his purposes for his calling That may be in small minuscule ways that go unnoticed that may be in grand controversial ways

Whether you're giving a cup of cold water in Jesus name or you're laying your life down as a holy martyr

This is what it means to be a well -pleasing aroma in the sight of God And there's no greater incentive to Christian service and sacrifice than this

Whatever I offer to God I do so as a living sacrifice Paul doesn't say give sacrificially with your resources

Not in Romans 12 at least he of course uses that language in Philippians or in 2nd Corinthians He talks about the gifts and the resources and the missionary support of a church being like a fragrant offering

But in Romans 12, he says your whole life is the sacrifice You are the sacrifice you are the living sacrifice to God Look into how

Hebrews 13 20 holds us together now May the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead the

Great Shepherd of the sheep Through the blood of the everlasting covenant make you complete in every good work to do his will working in you

What is well -pleasing in his sight or we could almost say what is well smelling in his nose?

Because sacrifice is something that you smell It produces something in the air

It's an aroma it's a fragrance. It's something that goes beyond you it somehow extends your presence

It's somehow Draws or repels as we'll see momentarily in 2nd

Corinthians, and this is true of every Christian act of service and love this is also true of every odious sin and failure

Every good work every evil deed every attempt to share and lay our lives down Every act to take it up and selfishly turn against these things produce odors odors in the church odors from the church into the world odors unto

God in The kingdom of God. It's not only those mighty acts which count

It's not just the awe -inspiring and viral testimonies that commend someone before God But as Jesus reminds us the least act is noticed even a cup of water in his name

The smallest things are noticed the smallest things have an odor Some of you know exactly what that looks like Just some small little effortless thing that blessed you a brother or sister being thoughtful It might have been a stray text message might have been something left at the door

It might have been a pat on the back in a time of need. It might have just been that little glancing encouragement I've been praying for you and somehow that blessed you and if I could put it in this figurative language

The air smelled a little different toward them You regarded them you thought of them you enjoyed them a

Little bit differently than you had before and that's that's what it is toward God Every little act every little deed

Hebrew 610 says where God is not unjust to forget your work or your labor of love which you've shown toward his name

Whatever we do toward his name has this kind of aroma this kind of fragrance And again, this is the image that Paul's drawing out our lives are to be this way

This is the image of of a sacrifice that creates a soothing aroma God is well pleased

And that's why we lay our lives down That's why we seek from the least to the greatest of deeds because we want to be pleasing to him

We want to be a fragrant offering. We want to return the love we received from him Think of the power of a good smell

I don't even I don't I think it shut down But when we used to live in Lemonster would go to the parking lot at Twin City Where Outback Steakhouse was you just I do a lot of my banking there at Workers Credit Union as soon as I open the

Door, I was smelling t -bones and baby back ribs like oh That's what it was like going to Jerusalem.

They're offering the burnt offer It's just like everyone's mouth is watering as they're making their way to the

Holy City There's the power of a smell you see those old Looney Tunes cartoons where the mom puts the apple pie on the

Windowsill and the odors almost have this life and all of a sudden the dogs are sort of carried along by the odor

There's something about the power of a fragrance it draws it begins to have this effect on your life

All sudden your stomach begins to rumble your mouth begins to salivate You become you know caught in the daydream wouldn't it be amazing to have that you start looking at pictures of food on your phone

It's the power of fragrance or negatively the repulsive power of fragrance a

Stench you can't bear An infant

I'll I would like to talk about this tonight. I don't want to explore it too much this morning We have other things we need to get to so let me just put it as a bookmark an infant

I'll church Is oblivious to its smell? You think of an infant?

It doesn't matter how soiled they are they're just smiling. Yes. There's play. They're oblivious to their odor a

Church that is juvenile a church that is immature will tend to overreact We don't know what to do with this mom dad get them away from us.

They can't handle that a Mature church acknowledges the odor for what it is and has a way to deal with it

Yeah, that stinks. We need to get rid of that smell Right how it is in the home with odor so it ought to be in the church we cannot afford to be oblivious and infantile to our odor as Individuals, but also corporately what's the air of the church?

How would you know but by the reaction of those within and without what's the fragrance that we give off?

What's the atmosphere in the air? There will be some who are repelled it must be so as we'll see from 2nd

Corinthians, but the question is why why are they repelled? Is it the scent the fragrance of the gospel that is repulsive to them?

It must be God forbid we take away the offense of the cross or is it something else that's repulsive Something else and are we infantile?

We don't even see it We're just smiling in our soil or are we so juvenile that we just we don't know what to do with this

We just need to get away from it or immature. We know how to deal with it We know repentance

We know sanctification. We know the power of worship to purge foul odors Everything we offer to God we offer it through Christ.

Therefore it becomes fragrant well -pleasing in his sight. Do we understand these things? We'll talk about that more tonight.

Let me give three points to kind of walk us through this topic And I'm not going to give them all up front because they're rather larger points.

They're more like sentences but here's the first of three sentences a healthy nose is able to detect odors and Lead the body to seek a pleasing fragrance

A healthy nose is able to detect odors and leads the body to seek a pleasing fragrance 2nd

Corinthians chapter 2 14 and following Paul says now Thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ and through us.

He's speaking as an apostle Diffuses the fragrance of his knowledge in every place

Pause there Thanks be to God he says who always leads us in triumph in Christ and through us

Diffuses the fragrance of his knowledge in every place Paul is appealing to a phenomenon in the ancient

Roman world called the triumph When a a great military victory had been wrought the

Senate could award that general or perhaps even Caesar himself a military triumph and All of the the captive treasures and exotic elements of that conquered territory as well as captured soldiers

They would be along with their leader put in this huge train and marched all along the way toward their highest temple the temple of Jupiter and of course that conquering general in his parade chariot would be showered with adoration flower petals and fragrant spices vessels of perfume

There was this pungent Fragrance that filled the air filled the streets of the city of Rome and Paul is leaning into this imagery

He says Christ has his triumph now He did not stay dead in the tomb But now he's risen and ascended exalted on high and we as Apostles are in this triumphant train

He's leading us as it were in triumph And as a result of that triumph this knowledge of him is like this fragrance that's spreading in our midst

We're showered in it we're emanating it. It's this fragrance. It's this glorious aroma

It's the victory of Christ and we're heralds were ambassadors of this victory.

That's the image Now he says this in verse 15.

We are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and Among those who are perishing as it really is.

He says in God's sight to God We really are as Apostles. He's saying the fragrance of Christ to those who are being saved and To those who are perishing so in that train, you've got the soldiers of the victor

In that train, you've got the enemies the rebels All are showered with perfume all have that aroma and Paul says as it really is in the sight of God It's a fragrance of Christ a glorious perfume a costly perfume perfume

The Apostles are saturated with it and guess what? They're not the only ones who are surrounded by this fragrance.

Also the rebels Those who resist his will those who are perishing they too

Smell this fragrance from our apostolic labors. And what does he say verse 16 to the one?

That is to those who are perishing we are the aroma of death leading to death and To the other we are the aroma of life leading to life

So it's the same fragrance. It's the same perfume It's the fragrance of Christ Diffused in every place by this knowledge of God and he says to those who

God is saving To those who are being conquered by grace and brought in to the army of the Lord this fragrance

This perfume is glorious. It's rich. It's wonderful. It's life unto life It's victory unto victory.

It's hope unto hope Join the celebration. That's what that smell says

But to those who are perishing that fragrance of Christ It's a scent of death to them

And not just death but death to death not just death right now as the gospel is being disseminated

But a reminder that death must come judgment must come again Christ is the victor think about these poor captives in that Roman generals train.

What happened at the end of that train? They're all sacrificed to the Roman Pantheon So as flower petals and perfumes are showering the legions those captives knew that scent is just a reminder.

We are about to be killed We didn't die on the battlefield. We're going to be killed This is the imagery that Paul uses to talk about his apostolic ministry

He's saying it's not surprising for me to see that when I let the knowledge of God be known

There's a fragrance that draws those who are being saved. They're captivated by the gospel to them

It's life leading to life, but others are repelled They're so offended. They find the fragrance of Christ so odious.

They seek to kill me. They seek to take my life from me That's Paul's experience as an apostle

So you recognize what Paul is recognizing wherever he goes he carries with him the fragrance of Christ He lays his whole life down Life lived in sacrifice for the good of God's kingdom for the good of God's people even for the good of those who hate

God He's willing to do anything if by any means he could win some That's part of the fragrance of Christ that he carries with him

And that fragrance of Christ is something that he finds in Christ Christ made himself of no accord

He laid his life down in sacrifice and became a well -pleasing aroma to God Paul says that's how I'm going to live my life

And is seeking to be like Jesus Paul became fragrant a well -pleasing aroma But as he carries out that aroma it has this effect it repulses those who hate

God It's an offensive stench Some of you ladies are pregnant or have been pregnant recently or have been pregnant eons ago

What a unique phenomenon that something that you never bothered you all of a sudden becomes

So odious that you you can't bear to be in the same room Maybe even in the same building get that out of the house right now.

I'm gonna turn green Some you know coffee in the morning or a certain kind of soup you have one bad experience of morning sickness and forever that Scent is is just a red flag in your mind in your experience

This is the kind of power of scent that we're talking about Someone can go through the motions jump through the hoops grow up in the church and all of a sudden the knowledge of God is being

Disseminated that fragrance is wafting and that becomes a stench. They can't bear get me out of here.

I can't stand that Paul recognizes what we need to recognize the church is not some social club

We all try to be friendly and do good. It's a spiritual temple Where transformed lives of believers are engaged in advancing the kingdom as we worship the risen

King That's what a church is. That's a fragrant church if a church is recognizing that And so we sacrifice as this act of worship

Hebrews 13 15 therefore by him by Christ Let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise

The fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name not forgetting to do good or to share because with these

Sacrifices God is well -pleased. Yeah, that's a pleasing fragrance. What's the pleasing fragrance doing good sharing offering?

Thanksgiving Seeking to please him who is our God That's what Paul is saying.

I beseech you brethren by these mercies of God present your bodies a living sacrifice Holy acceptable pleasing in his sight

Pleasing in his smell we make it our aim

Paul says whether present or absent to be well pleasing to him For you were once darkness.

He says in Ephesians 5 now your light in the Lord So walk as children of light finding out what is acceptable or pleasing to the

Lord. What do you smell? What smells good get more of that? The smell is meant to draw out.

I that smells so good I need to have more. I want more of that smell and more of whatever that smells coming from When a meals been being prepared think of Thanksgiving Day you know you wake up you purposely speak skip breakfast and All the stuffing and the gravy and the potatoes and your your you feel like a desert traveler by noon

When can I eat and your hands getting batted away as you're sneaking off pieces? That's the idea. It smells so amazing

I just got to have the source. I've got to get into that. That's how it ought to be So the question is if we're seeking to please him in this way and we recognize pleasing him has a lot to do with our selfless sacrifice our acts of love and service toward one another if that's the fragrance were to give off in the church that Becomes a fragrance and aroma that attracts others to the church even as it repels others from the church

Do we have that kind of fragrance as a church body? If you remember the

Sunday nights last year when we were looking at church history from Needham's book And he was talking about that vigorous roughnecked

North African Church the church in Carthage the church in Numidia and An interesting thing that Nick Needham pointed out is they we see in their writings almost no evidence.

No effort. No intentionality about missions They didn't write about it. They didn't think about it

They were not engaged in outreach and it's not what the North African Church was doing. Why did they not need to do that?

Because their worship was so transformative their way of life and love was so powerful

They didn't need to go outreach people were coming in through the windows That was the

North African Church. That is a fragrant church That is a church where people come and and by the steps and through the window panes

Their thought should be truly God is in this place What is our fragrance as a church?

again, that was the first point a healthy nose is able to detect odors and Leads the body to seek a pleasing fragrance second

Healthy nose is able to detect odors and perfumes the body for the sake of others

Healthy nose is able to detect odors and perfumes the body for the sake of others

To the first point healthy nose is able to detect odors and it leads the body to seek a pleasing fragrance

Do we seek to please the Lord? We seek a life of selfless love and sacrifice

Is that a well -pleasing aroma to the Lord a well -pleasing fragrance in the church? And the second point is closely tied to that if our nose is healthy and we can detect odors

We will be perfuming the body for the sake of others Why else would you perfume a body?

Unless you're detecting odors and out of courtesy out of polite or out of a desire not to be offensive

You mask that odor you're perfuming Every teenage man knows what I'm talking about You do the sniff test you find the shirt on the back of the chair and you smell it and you go

I think it's good You throw it back on and everyone's turning sideways around you and birds are falling from the sky and you realize it wasn't as good

As I thought it was. So what is it? What does the teenage man do axe body spray now? It's even worse.

No I'd take shots at axe The whole idea is if you're thinking about fragrance, you're always thinking about someone else

If you're thinking about perfume or fragrance, it's always because you're mindful of others

No one wakes up and puts perfume on if they're gonna stay home all day You put cologne on you take a shower you get ready because you want to smell well to those outside to others so there's an exhortation throughout scriptures that we are to act and behave and carry ourselves in such a way that those

Outside of us take notice. Why does he work in that way?

Why would he carry out his life in that way? That poor guy with his ball and chain and his kids what a miserable life that looks amazing

Why does he do it? How does he do it? Why would he do it? There's something that's observed

And part of that observation is really smelling. What's the air like? Where is this coming from?

Where is it leading to? What's the source of this I have to find it I need to investigate

I'm curious I'm smelling something I need to see it out You think of a qualification for an elder in 1st

Timothy 3 7 moreover. He must have a good testimony among those who are outside Why would that matter?

Paul didn't you say that those who have the fragrance of Christ are going to actually repel people.

It's a stench of death He goes. Yeah, that's certainly true, but there's many who are going to be attracted I must follow

I must investigate. I want to get close. Tell me what you know. Show me why you live this way This is what it means to have a good testimony among those who are outside you're living a

Perfumed life. I'm living this way Not only for my Lord that's first and foremost, but for the sake of my fellow man

I'm allowing the fragrance of Christ to extend my presence into other areas It's not something

I put on once a week on Sunday. This life is my life I lay my life down as a living sacrifice that fragrance causes notice it causes observation

We don't think anything of a restaurant that has 1 ,800 five -star reviews and three one -star

Yelp reviews we say those are Curmudgeons that had some bad experience or their competitors that want to leave a bad review.

We go with the bulk Well if the church or if our lives had the had the opposite of that We have three five stars in 1 ,800 one -star reviews.

We're not smelling very good to those outside. Are we? Something has become dysfunctional about our fragrance about our aroma

Listen to what Paul says to the governor Felix in Acts 24. He says I myself always strive.

He says I strive to have a conscience without offense toward God or Man, it's so easy to skip that second part

Paul says I strive to have a good conscience not just toward God but toward other men

I've done well by them. I've had integrity before them. I've treated them mercifully and kindly

I've shown something of Christ to them Even if they didn't know it There's some faint aroma of what it means for me to be in Christ a part of this fragrant body

That there's something about my life my behavior my attitude my personality that gives me a clean conscience

I've carried myself as a Christian should I smell okay. I pass the sniff test

Let me speak. Frankly. There's a certain corner of our reformed Christendom reformed him whatever you want to call it that almost strives to offend men

It would almost be the anti acts 24 verse 16. I myself always strive to offend not

God but offend men Paul says I strive to have a conscience without offense toward God or man

Something radically different about the way he's looking at it People have these caricatures they want to be a

John Knox and they they don't actually read closely enough to how the Apostles Themselves and how the apostolic churches carry themselves before an unbelieving world around them

Now, of course as we've said and as we must always say there is an unavoidable offense of the cross that we must never remove

God forbid If we want to have a witness it must be the witness of a bloody cross and a bloody cross condemns sinners

It says this is what your sins deserve This is what must happen to you because you were made and are accountable to a holy

God Daydream as you will delude yourself as you will there's a reckoning day plug up your nostrils

Pretend you're not in this triumphant train of redemptive history hurtling toward its appointed end

But you are and the end is sure do what you will to ignore it, but it's true But in the same letter that Paul says we must never remove the offense of the cross

He describes himself in chapter 9 is saying To the Greeks I became a Greek to the

Jews. I become a Jew I'll become anything to anyone if by any means I could win them. I don't think we understand what

Paul understood about fragrance and aroma I'm more like teenagers with Axe body spray.

I would rather labor of course I would rather labor alongside men and women that have such a zeal for the truth of God That they're prone or vulnerable to very rough edges against those outside I would far rather be around them and be among them and be counted in their number than I would ever want to be

Counted and numbered with men and women that due to their zeal for worldly approval would rather offend

God than offend man May that never be but Can we say like Paul we always strive to have a conscience without offense toward our fellow men?

We just don't think deeply enough about that because we don't think about our nose our sense our aroma

In Matthew 5 as we saw last year. Jesus says that the blessed people are people who are insulted treated unjustly

Persecuted spoken of wrongly and these ones these insulted persecuted unjustly treated characters are in fact the light of the city and the salt of the earth and That light as we saw in Matthew 5 16 is actually the good works that caused men to glorify

God How you carry yourself how you behave what you're willing to endure how you bear up First Peter to probably alluding to Matthew 5 at least depending upon it

He seems to be arguing that those outside that the irritating thorn potentially even the persecutors of the

Christian community Are nevertheless to be treated as this fragrant aroma that some might be drawn to Christ first Peter 2 11 beloved

I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims abstain from fleshly lusts Which war against your soul have your conduct honorable among the

Gentiles be a good smell When they speak against you as evildoers notice, he doesn't even say if It's like you work on being a good smell you work on keeping your conscience clean that you have been a

Christian To those against you and outside of you and he says and when they speak about you as an evildoer not if when

When they decry you when they slander you and they deny you when they lie about you that you buy your good works which they observe

May glorify God in the day of visitation. That's Matthew 5 16. So this is what it means listen to what a sermon by At least the namesake

Clement second Clement 13 therefore brothers Let us now repent at length.

Let us be serious about what is good for we are full of much folly and wickedness Let us blot out our former sins from us

Let us not become men pleasers nor let us desire to please only one another but the ones that are outside by our righteousness

So that the name will not be blasphemed because of us because the Lord says my name is Continuously blasphemed among all of the

Gentiles. How is it blasphemed? The Gentiles marvel at our words for being beautiful and great when they hear from our mouths the very oracles of God Afterwards when they learn that our works are not worthy of those words

We turn to them in blasphemy For example when they hear from us that God says there are no thanks due to you if you love those that love you

But thanks is due to you if you love your enemies and those that hate you When they hear these things they marvel at the excellence of kindness

But when they see that we do not only not love those who hate us But we don't even love those who love us

They laugh us to scorn and the name is blasphemed you see what

Clement is trying to get across to the church How do you smell? What's the fragrance what's the aroma are we a stench of death to those that are perishing

Well that must be that needs be Are we a stench of death to those that are being saved?

May that never be we're to strive to have a conscience without offense toward those outside And so you ask the question is our nose is our nose healthy as a church

My recognizing this life is a living sacrifice a well -pleasing aroma to God and that aroma has effects toward men

Men in and outside of the church. What kind of fragrance is my life producing? How does that fragrance mix into all of the spices and beauties and virtues of the

Church of Christ? How I smell as a Christian invariably affects how this church smells

The air that I produce Through my life and my marriage in my home invariably affects the air of the church the the culture of the church

What kind of fragrance are we producing? Are we truly striving to produce something? Well -pleasing in God's sight that is therefore well -pleasing in our midst and is even attractive

Curiosity inducing to those outside of us or are we carnal just like the rest?

Salt and light to be trampled on because the lights too dim to be noticeable the salt so bland.

It's become worthless so the second point was a healthy nose is able to detect odors and it perfumes the body for the sake of others and Here's the third and last point and it's relatively brief

The perfumed body is a body full of the Holy Spirit who grants us the fragrance of Christ's love

The perfumed body is A body full of the Holy Spirit who grants the fragrance of Christ's love

When someone comes into this church body The smell that ought to linger with them is the love of Christ It may not yet be their own personal love of Christ But they ought to smell they ought to detect they ought to be struck by our love for Christ The way we celebrate the love of Christ The way we give thanks for the love of Christ The way we fixate upon the love of Christ the way we yearn and hunger and are desperate for more of the love of Christ the way we're afflicted and torn to heart because of our pitiful returns and Offenses against the love of Christ the thing that ought to smell the most

Vibrant in our midst is the love of Christ. Where does the love of Christ come from? Well, Paul says in Romans 5 5 it is shed abroad in our hearts by the

Holy Spirit himself who has given to us so God Gives us the

Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit gives us the love of Christ and that Genitive there is

I think intentionally ambiguous. Is it is it Christ's love for us or our love for Christ?

And I think the answer is yes, both are from the Holy Spirit My conscience my faith is fixed upon a perception of Christ's love to me because the

Spirit is at work in my heart He's given me a new heart a heart of flesh. Therefore. I'm cognizant

Christ really loves me. I Know he loves me. I know he died for me.

I Know his death actually has cleansed my sin I know I'm actually forgiven and now

I actually long to be with him and live for him and give my all to him That's something that can only come by the

Holy Spirit To put it this way. You're not forgiven by one. You don't know You're not forgiven in the abstract

Your guilt clings to you do what you will If you think you're forgiven because you're going through the hoops

It shows you haven't known you don't have the Holy Spirit at work in your life I know what this is like I went grew up in church going through all the hoops and all the motions cleaned up my act

Kind of wiped the dust off my shoulders. I thought I knew everything I needed to know. I Didn't know

Christ I knew of him. I thought that was good enough. I didn't even know what it meant to know him There's a knowledge that is born through the tear ducts as much as through the the logical constructions of the gospel

It was an experiential knowledge It was what Paul is describing in Romans 5 5 it was the love of Christ shed abroad in my heart

Have you ever sung that hymn? Understanding exactly the experience of the hymn writer.

We have not loved you as we ought now. I see you

I've never loved you spend your whole life not knowing

Christ saying good enough more than most Isn't it great? And then you actually know him and you say

I haven't loved you as I ought I haven't begun to love you It tears you up What's that coming from it's coming from the

Holy Spirit What does it look like for a church to be constrained by that love of Christ? It looks like a church under the influence

Being swayed and moved and compelled by the Holy Spirit. It's the

Holy Spirit's desire to magnify Christ To adorn him and cause us to adore him

That's the delight of the Spirit. It's the joy of the Spirit to present as lovely the one whom he loves

The Spirit of the Lord as it were captivating our hearts unto him Spurgeon has this tremendous sermon on Romans 5 5 and he uses this imagery of perfume

This is why I say the perfumed body is a body full of the Holy Spirit. Listen to what Spurgeon says

He says how can I try to illustrate? By a common thing what Paul is getting at in Romans 5 5

Think of an alabaster box a very precious ointment It holds within it this precious costly frankincense the very love of God himself, but it's close to us

We know nothing of it. It's a mystery. It's a secret Until the

Holy Spirit opens that box and Now the fragrance fills the chamber Where 10 ,000 by 10 ,000 of the elect sit and a love of Christ is shed abroad upon them every

Spiritual taste perceives it heaven and earth become perfumed with it He speaks to me everywhere

That was not flesh and blood that revealed that to you. That was your father in heaven Sending his spirit to open up the fragrance of the love of Christ Behold the vases these huge vessels of perfume.

Yes There's nothing here to delight you if they are sealed but let the spirit open those vases

Let the vessels be poured out let drops of perfume rain upon the people of God and everyone is refreshed and blessed

Such as the love of God, there's a richness in it a fullness in it but it's never perceived hardly noticed hardly sought unless the

Spirit of God pours it out upon us a Perfume the body is a spirit filled body a

Body where the Spirit of God is active a body where the people in the body do not quench the spirits ministry

They don't grieve him They don't ignore his prodding when he wields his word or something comes to light that is offensive that stains our conscience

We don't take it in stride We dare not Lest we repel and repudiate the love he's seeking to pour in us.

We we go to him in repentance We renew our faith. We cleanse our stain. We we seek reconciliation

This is what it looks like to carry out the perfuming work of the Spirit Thomas Watson a different passage, but the same idea the great

Puritan. He's writing on 1st Peter 1 22 You should look up this sermon and read it. It's a tremendous sermon.

It's called the perfume of love And he says within that that 1st Peter 1 22 see that you love one another

And Watson says oh our times are a bad commentary on this How Christians reproach and malign one another the text says love fervently we hate fervently

Instead of the bond of love behold. We have an apple of strife and so the love of many grows cold

Divisions bring a reproach and a scandal upon true religion They make the ways of God evil spoken as if religion were the producer of envy and sedition rather than the answer to it

Julian he's meaning here Julian the apostate An emperor in the dynasty of Rome in the later centuries who grew up in the church

Was trained by some of the most devout men in the Roman Empire and became an apostate as a young man

He had been so well trained and he took all of that training and turned it against The church turned it against his mentors and tried to revive

Paganism in the Roman Empire and listen to what Julian used as part of his polemic Julian Watson says in his invectives against the

Christian said you all live together like tigers rending and tearing one another That was part of his critique how could

Christianity be true and Christians live like tigers with each other and Shall we by our animosities and contentions prove

Julian to be true? Lack of love will make others afraid to embrace the

Christian faith That's way too risky for me to go in a group like that They get to know me if they get to see things in my life

What they'll think of me what they'll say of me how they'll treat me how they regard me I Dare not go in there missed it

Do we actually present a fragrance that shows Our love for Christ is because he loved us while we were sinners

And while we are still sinners, he loves us still Jesus said

The healthy have no need of a physician the physician comes for those who are sick If the church is pretending that this is a health spa and everyone's healthy and improving their health

Rather than some plague hospital where we're just trying to make it to the end No wonder there's something repulsive people would be afraid to enter into Christian love

But we all know how hard it is and it's hard to admit I'm a sinner when that should be the first and most obvious thing about you.

Are you a Calvinist and It's hard for you to admit or acknowledge that you're a sinner

No, it's not hard at all. In fact, I do it abstractly all the time all my hymns I do it at some level that doesn't actually sink into my conscience.

I'm a sinner Oh the chief of sinners a sinner of mine. Well, tell me about your sin. Oh, no. No, I'm actually doing okay.

I Thought you said you were the chief of sinners So what's your sin? No, no, no. No, actually things are going really well interesting

Do you see no wonder there's not this aroma the gospel seems ineffective

There's no need for a Savior who died on the cross There's no need for us to melt our hearts in grief our eyes and tears when we consider the depth of his love for us

Despite our offense despite our sin and so rather than advancing

Christ's kingdom through this fragrant Sacrificial gospel that's causes such a

Gratitude toward him such an awe and wonder at his love that we become loving and self -sacrificial to others rather than advancing that kingdom

We almost advance ourselves our heads up in pride and an envy

Backbiting despising the very things Titus 3 3 says we used to be before Christ's love was shed abroad in our hearts

Full of envy malice hateful hating one another that's supposed to be pre conversion

So whose kingdom do we really advance then in our flesh in these ways? It's not the kingdom of Christ. We tighten the grip of the evil one the prince of the power of the air

Do you see why Peter says? Love one another fervently and this is what

Watson says See that you love one another. Oh that this sweet spice would send forth an aroma among Christians Oh that the

Lord would rain down these silver showers of love upon our hearts And then the thing that I'd like to close with this is simply this meditation

We should seek now that fragrance that will one day be complete We should seek now that fragrance that will one day be complete.

Listen, you don't need to manufacture a love for Christ You simply need to yield to and receive it from the

Spirit of God get out of your fleshly ways of grieving and offending The spirit yield and receive from him that love of Christ That will perfume your whole life

That will make you fragrant toward everyone around you that will make this church fragrant to those outside those in our midst

Will you do that? Perfectly? No, will you do it consistently? Probably not and So you long and you labor and you pray for that day when it will be made complete

Jonathan Edwards is famous sermon heaven a world of love and he's just talking about the glories that await us on that day and he

Uses this imagery of how each one of us will finally be fragrant as we ought to be Listen to this

He says love is always a sweet principle Especially divine love

Even here on earth love is a spring of sweetness, but in heaven it becomes a river no in ocean

The greatest acts of love that little YouTube clip that melts your eyes and tears. That's just he says a little spring a little burst

Heaven is the ocean all will stand about the

God of glory who is actually the depthless fountain of love

Opening as it were their very souls to be filled with the effusions of love that are ever being poured forth from his fullness

It's a love that's constantly as it were Cascading from his very being but it's never lost.

He never loses or gives it away It's just somehow always abounding and cascading

Just as the flowers on the earth in the bright and joyous day of spring Open their bosoms to the Sun to be filled with light and warmth to flourish in beauty and fragrancy under the cheering rays so every saint in heaven is like a flower in that Garden of God a

Holy love is the fragrance and odor that they all send forth and they're filled the bowers of paradise

Every soul there is as a note in some concert of a delightful music that sweetly harmonizes with every other note

No discordant note No one off time. No one out of place. No one harsh or rough a perfect harmony everything well done well said just as it ought to be and So all help each other to their utmost To express the love of the whole body to its glorious father in head and to pour back love into that great fountain of love

Once they are supplied and filled with love and blessedness and glory. Do you see that image? Returning to him that which we receive from him pouring back into the ocean that which the ocean gives turning back over Cascades of love toward the glory of the lamb even as we receive

Cascades of love from the glory of the lamb and we all help each other to do that perfectly without friction without offense without envy without Malice, that's what we're all going toward Should we not strive to see some of that at work in our midst even now?

The ceiling panels and vicissitudes of life keep us from seeing each other as we really are

Seeing each other as we really are what will it be like in glory to look at your brother or sister near you this morning?

At that kind of scene to see the petals of their life that had been wilted and closed in during the winter of hardship

Burst open to receive the fullness of God's love a joy inexpressible full of glory

That waits for us It's in light of that that Peter says

Love one another Return that love and support one another in that love even now

One day the body militant will be the body triumphant one day will be in that very presence and The perfumed body will be a body forever full of the

Holy Spirit Who grants us this fragrance of Christ's love? Amen. I beseech you therefore brethren by the mercies of God Present your bodies a living sacrifice holy

Acceptable to God which is your reasonable service? And do not be conformed to this world

But be transformed by the renewing of your mind that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God?

For I say through the grace given to me to everyone who is among you Not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think but to think soberly as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith

For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function so we being many are one body in Christ and individually members of one another

Let's pray father.

Thank you for your word Thank you for the Spirit who? reveals the love of Christ unto us

Even as he produces in us a love for Christ in return Thank you that you are love we cannot know love apart from you every good thing comes from you the father of lights

Lord Give us this light and help us to walk and it helped us to understand our fragrance our aroma a life

Lived in sacrifice a love a life and love lived for others That is well pleasing in your sight that that imitates the very fragrant offering of Christ That we would seek to please you and in seeking to please you would become fragrant

That this church would be a perfumed church That the scent would go out and extend in our workplaces through our homes into the community and Lord that you would do a great work

In our midst because we fix our eyes our hope our faith upon you. We celebrate you

We're perfumed by that that convicting illumination that draws us ever closer to the cross upon which you died for us

Lord even now as we come to your table to partake elements of your broken body your poured -out blood

May you pour out your love for us by your spirit of fresh? Lord submerge us in a love of Christ That we would rise

Ever more fragrant unto you unto one another and unto this lost and dying world around us We ask these things in Jesus name.