What is YOUR
Aroma Before the Lord?
By Rev. Greg Schermerhorn, October 17, 2012
Ephesians 5:1–2 (NKJV)
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.
Romans 12:1–2 (NKJV)
1 I
beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your
bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your
reasonable service. 2 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.
I’m going to start this
article by asking you a question:
How are you living your life? In
light of the Scripture passages I started the article with, Ephesians 5:1-2 and
Romans 12:1-2:
Have you considered your aroma before
the Lord? You know, the aroma of your heart.
·
Is it the pleasant, sweet smelling aroma of an
offering?
OR
·
Is it the stench of unconfessed sin in your life?
I know it’s a pointed
question, a sharp question, but sometimes Scripture demands a response from us. The writer of Hebrews said:
Hebrews 4:12 (NKJV)
12 For the word of God is living and powerful,
and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and
spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and
intents of the heart.
God’s Word is absolutely true,
inspired, inerrant, and infallible. It
is living and powerful because it is God’s Word. As such, it has the power to
convict on its own without man’s intervention. If you have any doubts, just listen
to some of the testimonies given to us by the Gideons of men and women who have
come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.
For them just reading the Bible so convicted them of their need for salvation
that God directed them to the passages they needed without human intervention. As a two edged sword, the Bible cuts both
ways, away from you and back towards you.
In other words, Scripture has the power to ward off the devil and his
demons, as well as the power to convict you of your own sins.
Praise God that we have a
Savior that has paid the price for our sins once and for all time. He has overcome the world, He has overcome
sin, He has overcome death, and He is seated at God the Father’s right hand
interceding for us even now. Jesus paid
the penalty for our sins, all of our sins.
All the sins we have committed in the past, and all of them that we will
ever commit. There will never need to be
another sacrifice to pay for anyone’s sins ever again. His one death on the cross, His one
burial, and His one resurrection from the dead are sufficient for all
mankind for all time.
Hebrews 7:26–27 (NKJV)
26 For such a High Priest was fitting for us, who is
holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and has become higher than
the heavens; 27 who does not need daily, as those high priests, to
offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the people’s, for this
He did once for all when He offered up Himself.
The Apostle Paul spent a lot
of time breaking down the theological details of Jesus’ death, burial, and
resurrection for his readers in the first eleven chapters of the book of
Romans. Now, he ties it all together in
these first two verses of chapter 12. He starts verse one not by saying “I command
you, brethren” but by saying, “I beseech you, brethren.” While Paul had
apostolic authority, he wanted the motivation for his urging to be love because
of what God had done for mankind. Paul wanted his readers to understand that
they didn't need to serve Christ in order to receive his mercy because
they had already received it.
Romans 5:17 (NLT)
17 For the sin of this one man, Adam, caused death to
rule over many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and his gift of
righteousness, for all who receive it will live in triumph over sin and death
through this one man, Jesus Christ.
Paul urged his readers to
present their bodies as a living sacrifice that was holy and acceptable to God.
With this request, Paul was drawing on imagery that his readers would
understand. For us, we will have to take ourselves back 2000 years ago to
understand that same imagery of the sacrifice.
To have a sacrifice would
require a priest. It would also require something to be sacrificed. In the
Jewish context, there were sin offerings, peace offerings, love offerings,
goodwill offerings, and so on. These offerings could have been animals, grains,
wines, and such depending upon the purpose of the offering. All of the items
being sacrificed would have to have been first-fruits and unblemished. The last
major component is that they would have to be freely given to the Lord.
Now, when we look back at
verse one, Paul's language makes more sense to us today. Words do have meaning,
so we need to take care to study them in their proper context. Paul urgently
requested that his Christian brothers and sisters present themselves as living
sacrifices. His request that they willingly offer themselves and become a
living sacrifice was a reasonable act of worship because God had been so
gracious and merciful to them. They were also to present themselves in a manner
that was holy and acceptable.
They could do this through
the office of the priesthood of the believer.
All of us who are saved are a part of Christ's royal priesthood. This is
not to be confused with Aaron’s priestly line.
1 Peter 2:5 (NKJV)
5 you also, as living stones, are being built up a
spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable
to God through Jesus Christ.
We all can come boldly before
the throne of grace because of what Jesus did for us. It's not because of who
we are, what we know, where we go to church, what we have given money to, or
any other activity or deed. We can only come before God's holy throne because
of the shed blood of Jesus. Remember the veil was torn at the Holy of Holies in
the Temple when Jesus died on the cross.
Warren Wiersbe said, “As
priests, we are to present ‘spiritual sacrifices’ to God. The first sacrifice He wants each day is our
body, mind, and will in total surrender to Him.” [1]
Hebrews 13:15–16 (NKJV)
15 Therefore by Him let us continually offer the
sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving
thanks to His name. 16 But do not forget to do good and to share,
for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.
As a New Testament living
sacrifice, we’re not just ritually holy like an Old Testament sacrifice. If
you're saved, you are truly holy because you're covered by the blood of the
lamb, Jesus, the sinless Son of God.
When God the Father looks at you, He can’t see your past sins. He only sees that you have been covered by
the blood of His Son and that you are forgiven and covered by His grace. In fact, you can look at it like this, you were
once “dead” in sin, but now you are alive in Christ and living in your eternal
life.
The true attitude of worship
is giving our all to God. When we present our bodies as a living sacrifice that
is holy and acceptable to God, we are presenting our all. When we present the
all of our being as a living sacrifice; our time, our talent, and our treasure
will follow where our heart has already gone.
It’s been said that the
Christian who fails in life is the one who has first failed at the altar,
refusing to surrender completely to Christ.[2]
Paul continues in verse two by
admonishing his readers not to be conformed to this world, but to be
transformed by the renewing of their minds. This is also an interesting
passage. Every Christian is either a conformer, living for and like the world,
or as a transformer, daily becoming more like Christ.[3]Paul
doesn't want believers to be conformed or molded to the image of the world. He doesn’t want us carried away by the
beliefs, the philosophies, the methodologies, and the strategies of the corrupt
world in which we live.
1 Corinthians 3:18–19 (ESV)
18 Let no one
deceive himself. If anyone among you thinks that he is wise in this age, let
him become a fool that he may become wise. 19 For the
wisdom of this world is folly with God. For it is written, “He catches the wise
in their craftiness,”
1 Corinthians 1:25–28 (NLT)
25 This foolish plan of God is wiser than the wisest of
human plans, and God’s weakness is stronger than the greatest of human
strength.
26 Remember, dear brothers and sisters, that few of you
were wise in the world’s eyes or powerful or wealthy when God called you. 27 Instead,
God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think
they are wise. And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are
powerful. 28 God chose things despised by the world, things
counted as nothing at all, and used them to bring to nothing what the world
considers important.
Paul's goal for us is the
same as God's goal for us. It is transformation through the renewing of our
minds. The consistent and deliberate act
of the renewing of the mind of the believer is an act of submission to the will
of God. This process begins at the moment of salvation and it continues as long
as you maintain a growing relationship with the Lord. So what does that mean? It
means that to maintain a growing relationship with Jesus Christ, you must feed
yourself by reading your Bible daily, you must pray consistently, and you must surrender
your will to God daily, if not even hour by hour and minute by minute.
As you consistently submit
yourself to God and seek to do His will, you will continue to grow more
spiritually mature, your mind is constantly renewed, and you will be continually
spiritually energized because you are becoming more Christ-like. You will also come
to a point that you realize that God's will, God's desires, God's motives, and God's
values are really what are best for you in the way you live your life because His
way is complete.
2 Corinthians 4:16 (NKJV)
16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our
outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by
day.
One should take notice that
transformation is a process. It's not something that happens instantaneously. While
it starts at the moment of salvation, transformation will continue for a
lifetime. Transformation is the process of becoming Christ-like. It is a
process that will never be complete because you'll never be fully Christ. You
can only be like Christ, but you want be as much like Christ is you can be!
This is part of spiritual maturity. Roy Zuck compared this process to
metamorphosis. You know about metamorphosis, it’s the process of a caterpillar
forming a cocoon and transforming into a butterfly. Transformation is a process
that works from the inside out. It's also a process that has no shortcuts.
Feeding yourself daily with Scripture, prayer, and obedience to the Lord are
keys to the renewing of your mind and the transformation process so that you
can grow more spiritually mature.
The final part of verse two
is a benefit of being transformed by the renewing of your mind. By feeding
yourself a steady diet of Scripture, by praying consistently, and by being in
submission to God's will, you now have the tools to be able to prove what is
good and acceptable and within that perfect will of God. The idea here is that
the renewed mind can discover and put into action the will of God.
So, you may be asking, “How can
I know the will of God?” That's an excellent question. I promise you there's no
secret formula, and there’s no 3 or 5 point plan that will lay it all out for
you. However, what I can promise you is this:
that by doing four things, you can develop
a relationship with the Lord that will help you to understand His will in most
situations. These four things are not earth shattering tasks. They are four simple and humble tasks
that will help you to know God and grow through the renewing of your mind. You might want to write them down.
Number 1:
Read Scripture daily, consistently, and
systematically. This will make you familiar with God's word so you know what it
says: His judgments, His blessings, His
love, His mercy, and His grace. In other words, read all of it. Take delight in
God's word.
Psalm 119:16 (NKJV)
16 I will delight myself in Your statutes; I will not
forget Your word.
Number 2: Memorize key verses and passages. Hide God's word in your heart. It will
help you defeat the devil and turn away from temptation.
Psalm 119:11
(NKJV)
11 Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not
sin against You.
Number 3:
Pray daily and pray consistently. Develop a prayer relationship with the Father.
And don't just do all the talking. Sometimes you just need to unload and then
listen for God’s response.
1 Thessalonians 5:16–18 (NKJV)
16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18
in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
Number 4: Test all things. By this point, you should be
reading Scripture, memorizing Scripture, and praying consistently. Test and verify everything against Scripture.
When you're unsure what Scripture means, use a parallel Scripture passage to
interpret the one you're unsure of. There are no contradictions in the word of
God. God will never lead you to violate Scripture and Scripture will never lead
you to violate God's will.
1 Thessalonians 5:19–22 (NKJV)
19 Do not quench the Spirit. 20 Do not
despise prophecies. 21 Test all things; hold fast what is good. 22
Abstain from every form of evil.
These four disciplines will
help you to discern God's will in most situations. Remember, God is the same
yesterday, today, and forever. Neither God, nor His word, ever contradict each
other. If that ever happens, then you know that whatever the issue is, it's not
from Him.
Hebrews
13:8 (NKJV)
8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today,
and forever.
So what can we take away from
this study? Are we living our lives as a living sacrifice that is holy and
acceptable to God? Is God pleased with the aroma of our heart? Does it have the
pleasant aroma of a living sacrifice that is being lived out to honor and
glorify Him? Or does it have the stench of unconfessed sin upon it? They are tough questions that we need to
answer after an honest evaluation. If
you need to confess sin, do it and resolve to become a living sacrifice. If you don’t know Jesus as Lord, then now is
the time of salvation.
Developing a personal
relationship with Jesus is as easy as A-B-C:
A-Admit you are a sinner. Repent and
turn away from your sin.
Acts 3:19 (NKJV)
19 Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may
be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the
Lord,
B-Believe that Jesus is the Son of God and receive God’s gift
of forgiveness from sin.
Romans 5:8 (NKJV)
8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that
while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
C-Confess your faith in Jesus Christ as your Savior.
Romans 10:9–10, 13 (NKJV)
9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus
and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be
saved. 10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and
with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 13 For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord
shall be saved.”
[1] Warren W. Wiersbe, Wiersbe’s
Expository Outlines on the New Testament (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1992),
400.
[2] Warren W. Wiersbe, Wiersbe’s
Expository Outlines on the New Testament (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1992),
399.
[3] Warren W. Wiersbe, Wiersbe’s
Expository Outlines on the New Testament (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1992),
399.
