Chico Alliance Church
“What’s That Smell?”
Introduction
High in each nasal cavity it a small tract of mucous membrane containing olfactory cells. Hairlike fibers in these nerve cells, responding to various odors, send impulses along the olfactory nerve to the brain and thus produce the sense of smell. Our sense of smell plays an important role in our life. It enables us to identify and evaluate any number of things.
Jacob confused Isaac by making himself smell like Esau.“See, the smell of my son is like the smell of a field which the Lord blessed.” When these vapors reach the fibers in the nose, they signal the brain which processes the data and determines any appropriate action --
• Linger! something pleasant is in the vicinity.
• Leave! something putrid is here.
Smell is produced when a particular object emits particles in the form of gases and vapors in the air. Those particles spread rapidly in the air and can travel long distance. Sweet, pleasant smells draw us to receive and relish the emitter. Sour, putrid smells drive us to refuse and reject the emitter. There are some things that do not emit their particular vapor until heated, stirred, crushed, scratched. Companies spend millions to capture just the right fragrance. Exposure to particular vapors over a long period of time desensitizes the receptors in the nose to those particular vapors.
Scripture uses the physical sense of smell to illustrate spiritual reality. There is a spiritual sense of smell. God has a spiritual sense of smell. People have a spiritual sense of smell. The spiritual sense of smell works in a similar way as the physical one. Attitudes and actions produce “vapors” which are picked up by the spiritual nose and send data to the soul which makes a determination about the character or condition of the person emitting the odor. On the basis of the data, a particular response is signaled --
Receive, relish.
Reject, run
Often these vapors of the soul are not released until agitated, crushed, heated. God often allows circumstances to bring our certain odors that we may correct the problems causing them. However, like the organs in the lining of the nose, over-exposure to a particular odor over a long period of can cause us to become insensitive to our own odor and even the odor of others.
Ephesians 5:2 admonishes us to walk in love just as Christ also loved us, and gave Himself up for us, and offering and a sacrifice to God for an odor of fragrance, or as a fragrant aroma to God.
What smells good to God?
What smells gross to God’s nose?
I. The Principle of Smell
Smell in Scripture most often indicates a state of acceptance and favor, attraction or rejection and disfavor, repulsion. It is applied to both God and people.
Ex 5:21 The people complain to Moses and Aaron that his actions have caused the Israelites to “stink” before Pharaoh.
Song of Solomon speaks of the smells of romance.
Israel stunk to the Philistines.
Absalom stunk to David.
Levitical offerings were a sweet smelling savor to God.
Not the actual smell but the attitudes and actions behind the smell.
II. The Particulars
The sweet savor of obedient, selfless sacrifice.
The sour stench of proud, selfishness.
A. Sour stench of proud selfishness
Generally the things that smell gross to God are the attitudes and actions born out of proud rebellion and selfishness.
Prov 13:5 Eccles. 10:1 Jeremiah 48:11 Joel 2:20 Leviticus 26:21-36 Isaiah 1:10-15 Amos 5:21-27
Our self-centered rebellion stinks to God. Foolishness stinks to God. “Ignore truth without consequences.” Our attitudes and actions centered in selfishness stink to God. Our attempts to make God share glory and honor with our other gods stink. No matter how we try to cover it up with sweet smelling things, the basic distasteful odor is still there.
B. Sweet Savor of Obedient Selfless Sacrifice
So what smells good to God? We encounter God’s sense of smell early in Genesis.
Noah built an altar to the Lord and offered burnt offerings on the altar.
Genesis 8:21 And the LORD smelled the soothing aroma; and the LORD said to Himself, "I will never again curse the ground on account of man, for the intent of man's heart is evil from his youth; and I will never again destroy every living thing, as I have done.
The offering is the act of one who recognizes offense toward God and restores relationship through sacrifice. Through the OT God required sacrifice. The sacrifices indicated repentance, obedience and restoration of fellowship, it was a sweet smell to God. How much more the smell of the sacrifice of His very own beloved Son was sweet to God. Through the mercy of God, we can change our smell.
Promised in the OT to Israel.
Ezekiel 20:41 Hosea 14:6
We are to be imitators of Christ as we walk in love as He walked in love.
Put off the sour stench of the flesh.
Bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, slander, malice, death words, stealing, lying, immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, disputes, dissensions, factions envyings and things like these.
Put on the sweet savor of love in the Spirit
Be kind, tenderhearted, forgiving each other as God has forgiven us, love, joy, peace, long suffering, kindness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.
To the degree we put on Christ, we will smell like Him. You take on the odor of the ones you hang out with.
2 Cor. 2:14-17 But thanks be to God, who always leads us in His triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place. 15For we are a fragrance of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing; 16to the one an aroma from death to death, to the other an aroma from life to life. And who is adequate for these things? 17For we are not like many, peddling the word of God, but as from sincerity, but as from God, we speak in Christ in the sight of God.
When we give ourselves first to God and then to others, we emit a sweet smell to God and others. Paul talked often of pouring His life out for the sake of others.
2 Cor. 12:14-15 Philip. 2:17 2 Tim. 4:6
We have become so versed in selfishness. The essence of love and the essence of good smell to God is giving our lives away. He who would save his life will lose it in the saving. He who would lose his life for my sake will save it in the loosing. He is no fool who gives what He cannot keep to gain what he cannot loose.
Romans 15:1-3 Now we who are strong ought to bear the weaknesses of those without strength and not just please ourselves. Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to his edification. For even Christ did not please Himself; but as it is written, "THE REPROACHES OF THOSE WHO REPROACHED THEE FELL UPON ME."
Philip. 2:3-4 Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind let each of you regard one another as more important than himself; do not look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.
We will never know the fulness of God if we life with a self-centered focus. The body of Christ was designed to serve one another. When we know the love of Christ for us and the love of Christ through us, only then will we experience the fulness of God in us for God IS LOVE.
Paul talks about sacrificial giving of our financial resources to meet needs as a good smell.
Philip. 4:18 But I have received everything in full, and have an abundance; I am amply supplied, having received from Epaphroditus what you have sent, a fragrant aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well-pleasing to God.
God loves the smell of obedient selfless sacrifice because it reflects the character and work of His Son. We do not offer sacrifices to day of animals because Christ is the once-for-all sacrifice.
We do offer up sacrifices.
Hebrews 13:15-17 Through Him then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name. 16And do not neglect doing good and sharing; for with such sacrifices God is pleased. 17Obey your leaders, and submit to them; for they keep watch over your souls, as those who will give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with grief, for this would be unprofitable for you.
Like the Israelites of old, even these sacrifices can turn odious to God if the heart is not right. Today, a smell has risen to God. Is it the sour stench of proud selfishness or the sweet savor of obedient sacrifice?
Hebrews 13:20-21 Now the God of peace, who brought up from the dead the great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the eternal covenant, even Jesus our Lord, 21equip you in every good thing to do His will, working in us that which is pleasing in His sight (sweet smelling to His smell), through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.
