How Do You Smell?
-Introduction
-Recently, we have addressed the fact that God is light (1 John 1:5)—Jesus is light (John 8:12)—
and the Spirit-given Word is light (Psalm 119:105).
-We need to make sure the darkness of this world does not blind our eyes (1 John 2:11, 15-17).
-So, we need to walk in the light as he is in the light (1 John 1:7).
-1 John 3:11, 16-18
-Do we have love one for another? Yes.
-Do we help one another? Yes.
-Is there room for improvement in these areas? Yes.
-1 John 3:19-22
-These are challenging verses. But, overall, we can take this from them—We sometimes
have a struggle within us, don’t we? We are trying to do what is right—walk in the light.
But, we know we fall short and still struggle with darkness.
-Yet, we can gain assurance in knowing that—through and over it all—God knows.
And, he is always ready to forgive.
-So, let’s think for a little bit about this concept of God knowing all. (Psa 139)
-Ask Yourself: What Does God See When He Looks at Me?
-Does he see a person putting forth a diligent effort (2 Pet 3:14)?
-Does he see a person who is trying to grow stronger? (1 Pet 2:2, 2 Pet 3:8; Eph 4)
-Does he see a person who is putting truth & faith into action? (James 1:22, 2:14-26)
-What does he see when he looks at what we do?
-What does he see when he looks at what we do not do?
-Remember, Christianity covers both sides of the column.
-Ask Yourself: What Does God Hear When He Listens to Me?
-What type of speech does God hear us utilizing? (James 3, Eph 4:29)
-Does our speech change based upon who we are around?
-Remember, God is always around.
-Does God ever hear us mention his Son? the Gospel?
-Song: You Never Mentioned Him to Me
-Does God hear directly from us?
-Are you talking to God? How is your prayer life?
-Matt 7:7 – “ask;” James 4:2-3; 1 John 3:22
-Rev 8:1-5 – connection between prayers and incense
-Ask Yourself: How Do You Smell to God?
-“Our sense of smell is very powerful,” Cox said. “Your sense of smell is very powerfully associated with
memory. If it’s something you like, you have a positive response. If it’s an unpleasant memory, you’ll
have a negative response.” Because the olfactory region, the part of the brain that detects smells, also
governs an individual’s emotions, a person’s mood and sense of smell are linked instantaneously. Each
individual ties different smells to different people, places or events. For example, many tie the smell of
peppermint to Christmas time, or some may think of their grandma’s house when smelling baked goods.
Strong smells provoke strong memories and emotions. According to the Sense of Smell Institute, an
organization that seeks to call attention to the importance of smell in everyday life, people recall smells
with higher accuracy after a year than they will recall photos after only three months.” (Betsy Abraham, “Nose Knows: The Power of Smell,” Sept 6, 2011,
knows-the-power-of-smell).
-Think of the extreme contrast in smelling something really good and smelling something really
bad! (Interestingly, we usually want somebody else to smell it in either case, right?)
-Now there are several directions that I could follow from here—and you might have some
thoughts in mind right now—but there is one particular passage that I want us to think of in the
time we have left: 2 Cor 2:14-17.
-2 Corinthians 2:14-17 – The Aroma of Christ
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