What's That Smell?

TITLE: WHAT’S THAT SMELL?

SCRIPTURE: GENESIS 8:21 / PSALM 141:2 / REVELATION 5:8 / EPHESIANS 5:2 / II CORINTHIANS 2:14-16 / ROMANS 8:37 / II CORINTHIANS 4:7

(This is not an original sermon, portions have been gleaned from various writers from Sermon Central and other sites, however; it has been adapted and changed for my particular points and style of preaching)

I know this may sound like a strange question -- what is your favorite smell? I would have a hard time answering this question because there are so many candidates.

• Freshly cut Christmas Trees

• Bread baking in the oven

• Sweet Potato Pie fresh out of the oven

• Freshly popped Popcorn

• Fresh Brewed Coffee in the morning

• Smell of chicken being fried in the kitchen on a Sunday afternoon

• I am sure you have your own list

Most of you know, some weeks ago, Sis. Lawson and I had all 11 of our grandchildren at the house from 1 year old, a 2 year old, a 3 and 4 year old the rest preteens and teens to the oldest which will be 16 years of age next week. I don’t share this for you to feel sorry for us. For the past two weeks we have had five of the grands and now down to just four with us full time – that is to say all day long. It has been a challenge as Michelle, and I are accustomed to being empty nesters – just the two of us. During this time of having these little lives running around the house, I have found myself constantly walking around the house asking – “WHAT’S THAT SMELL?” More often than not, the smell is not very pleasant!

All of us know, as human beings, we have five basic senses –

• Sense of Touch

• Sense of Sight

• Sense of Hearing

• Sense of Smell

• Sense of Taste

Of these five senses, the sense of smell is considered to be the strongest. Michelle has always told me I have a super-sonic sense of smell.

• Certain smells are Nostalgic

• When you smell that particular thing, it brings back old memories

• Have you ever experienced just out of nowhere a certain smell that triggers a wonderful memory from days gone by?

• There is a study that says the sense of smell is closely linked with memory, possibly more than any of our other senses

Cologne and Perfume companies love to sign celebrities because they know people will buy that fragrance just because they think the celebrity is wearing it. Like Michael Jordan Cologne -- Curious By Brittany Spears -- Derek Jeter - Hillary Duff - Jennifer Lopez - Paris Hilton - Naomi Campbell – Elizabeth Taylor - Grace Kelly - are just a few of the celebrities that have put out a product that is guaranteed to help you smell better.

• We buy into it because we so desperately want to be popular or want to be like someone else

• So, we spend our money and buy into the product

• We think if we smell like them, people will like us more

Last year alone celebrity scents brought in 2.9 billion dollars. Why are we so caught up in trying to imitate?

• We spend so much time and money worrying about how we smell to the world that we put off worrying about how we smell to God

• God not only wants you to learn to look like him

• He wants you to have a fragrance that is spiritually pleasing

You can do things to dress up and make everything smell good for a short time but after a while those clothes wear out and the cologne wears off and you are left with the truth. But when you look and smell like the character of Christ that is a fragrance that is not only pleasing to our Creator but will be contagious to the people around you.

Interestingly, God also exhibits this sense of smell. In GENESIS 8:20, NOAH sacrificed burnt offerings - A Sacrifice of Thanksgiving. Consider God’s reaction -- The next verse says, “THE LORD SMELLED THE PLEASING AROMA AND SAID IN HIS HEART: "NEVER AGAIN WILL I CURSE THE GROUND BECAUSE OF MAN’S SAKE, EVEN THOUGH EVERY INCLINATION OF THE MAN’S HEART IS EVIL FROM CHILDHOOD. AND NEVER AGAIN WILL I DESTROY ALL LIVING CREATURES, AS I HAVE DONE.”

The anger of God was replaced by Peace, because of what He just smelled.

• In the book of LEVITICUS, God instructs His people to give offerings and burn incense

• In the New Testament, the sacrifice of Christ is a fragrant offering unto God

• We read that in EPHESIANS 5:2 “AND WALK IN THE WAY OF LOVE, JUST AS CHRIST LOVED US AND GAVE HIMSELF UP FOR US AS A FRAGRANT OFFERING AND SACRIFICE TO GOD”