AROMA

we're going to jump right into our lesson today. And, uh, I hope that what I have prepared for you will stir something in you as well as those that are watching online. We thank them for watching as well. But, uh, we want to, uh, we want to just take a moment and, uh, and magnify the things that we've been studying. As you know, we have been studying on the altar of incense.

And uh I I want to u uh take a little time and let us apply this to our lives. Amen. And how that this is uh operated in our life. First thing I I I want to start out by I've already had some people ask me, "What you got in those jars up there?" Well, we'll get there in just a few moments, but uh how many of you um do you have an automatic coffee pot? Do you?

And does it go off before you get up? Yeah. Let me ask you this. Is there something that you smell before you get up? Can you smell it?

And and I I want to start off by talking about coffee because I think a lot of you can you you can definitely understand when we talk about coffee especially around here. Um but but that is one of those odors uh one of those fragrances or scents that that is uh in us that it brings us alive. If you like coffee, it brings you alive. It gets your attention. Let's say that.

Um, but uh I was I was thinking about this and and and there's many things that we can we can talk about when we talk about this, but uh I want to talk about um the odor um and the incense that we talked about with the tabernacle. There is an incense that they burned. there was a lot of different uh parts that goes into that um that fragrance that they put in there. And so I I'm not going to break those down because I don't think it's going to be important to your life today. But I do want to share something with you that I think is is very important in our life.

And uh and I want to try and share that with you. Um but when we talk about uh fragrances and we talk about um um uh incense and the the smells that each and every one of us equate with. There's probably some of you that said in this room that there are certain there's certain smells that can hit your hit your nose and and it brings you to memories, right? There are certain things I I am one of those that um you know I got a I got the Lord's blessed me with a pretty goodized nose and u and so they tell me that I'm uh I'm part Jew that way you know air is free and we're going to get all we can u w but but you know there there's a lot of things that trigger in your sense of smell. Uh there could be there could be things that that that that brings you to a sadness.

There's memories there. There's things that could happen there. And and while we're here, how many's got a really good sense of smell? Is there somebody that you could say you have a good sense? Sister, I want you to come up here.

Sister Jen, she said, "Why did I raise my hand?" And I've got I've got several I've got three different scents here. I got and so I'm not going to and there's none of them that that to me they don't stink. Okay. Okay. Thank you.

Now, there may be some I don't we got a we got a bucket somewhere. No, I hope not. But I've got several u different scents here and I I want to try and and make this a little clear on the onset of what we're talking about. I've got this one and I want you just I want you to smell of it and then I want you to you don't have to try and figure out what scent it is but maybe maybe something that it reminds you of. Okay.

All right. Um, it reminds me of fall. Reminds you of fall. Um, harvest time. Harvest time.

Uh, Thanksgiving dinners. Yeah. Apple cider pies and apple cider pies and Oh my. Well, thank you. Thank you.

And and and this is pumpkin spice, by the way. But but you understand what we're talking about here. Somebody else. Come here, Logan. I've got this one here.

I want you to just smell of it. And Okay. What What What do you What comes to mind? Soap. Okay.

Soap or my grand my granny's soap? You know, granny soap. Listen to that. Yeah. That's all I got.

Yeah. Yeah. And and so this is something that we would cling by, right? Well, this this happens to be lemon. Pine salt.

Yeah. A pine. Thank you, Logan. One more. Somebody else.

There we go. Cinnamon. Cinnamon. Cinnamon. And that's what it was is cinnamon apple.

But again, I bring those to your attention because each one of these would bring some type of memory or it would bring something to mind when we smell it. And and and when we think along these lines, the scripture tells us, and we're going to go into the scripture and dive in here a little bit and apply this to our life. Paul writes to the church at Corenth in 2 Corinthians the 2 chapter in verse 14. He writes to the church here and he's he's talking to them about being triumphed in Christ. He says, 'I thank now thanks be to God which always causes us to be triumphant in Christ.

Notice the scripture, the rest of the scripture right here. And makes manifest the what? The savor of his knowledge by us in every place. Notice how he says that. And in in another version of that, he talks about it.

It it it the other version says it this way. It it is a fragrance of his knowledge. Then the verse 15 says this, "For we are unto God a what? Sweet savor unto Christ. He tells us that when you as the church, as the people of God to be triumph in Christ, we are to bring something to the crowd.

Hello. There is something that happens when we step into a room. Now, I I don't think it is one of those boisterous ways of strutting your stuff and popping your chest out and saying who look who I am. Because the Bible tells us that that we are they are to see our good works in what? Glorify God.

They there to glorify him, not us. As a matter of fact, when they see us, then I don't want them to see who I really am. Right? I think each and every one of us can say that we we are not by nature we are not good Christians. That's right.

In our nature, we are not the ones that can really save anyone or to lead somebody to Christ. That is not in it doesn't matter how good you are. That is not your nature. But in Christ Jesus, in him we bring something to the crowd. I think it's important that we we we know that we can change the we can change the atmosphere, that we can change the the mood, so to speak.

How many of you have ever had those people that were just just bubbly? As a matter of fact, there's some days you don't want to be bubbly and it's when they get in the room, it's like h you ever felt that way? Yeah, sure you have. But that that is and there's personalities that way. But the truth is as a Christian when we walk in the room, people need to get the scent of Christ.

They need to know that that it is Christ in me that brings this to the crowd. I I um I was reading some stories over the last couple of days and and one particular story was a couple that had visited Chattanooga and um and what triggered me is because they had visited Chattanooga. The guy was talking about his visit here and how that he came in to visit a group a group of people that he was he was supposed to be teaching on that Sunday. And so um they went back to their hotel room and when they got to their hotel room they were they were on like the fifth floor and I I don't know where was at so don't I don't I don't know nothing about them. I don't even know.

I know his name was Bill and hers was Betty. But but they were they were staying in this hotel and when they got to their their their the um aisle where their or the hallway where their hotel room was, he said there was just a stench in that room or in that area. He got to his room, opened the door and a stench was even coming through the vents. And so, uh, he said, you know, we had just had a great time, uh, with a group of people and we was excited about what was what was being done in that group and what God was doing. And he says, I get back to my room and it change my my whole attitude changes.

He says, I pick up the phone, I call and tell him what's going on at the front desk. He said that simple odor that hit his nose changed his day. And and and I bring that to you because there are a lot of things that you may be you may be bringing somebody the best part of the day. Think about it. How many times have you had people that that you have met that was that was either in the slumps or maybe you were you were down and they walked in and it was just a simple word that was said or maybe just being in their presence.

God calls us if you're going to be triumphant, he calls us to bring it to the room. Hello. As a matter of fact, that's why we we come to church and we have a group of people that get up here and they sing and and they allow the spirit of God to flow throughout the songs. Why? It's because we are trying to create an atmosphere of worship.

We're trying to create a place where where you can you can find the rest that you need. You can find the peace that you need. But it comes through Christ Jesus. That's right. How many of you got this book right here?

We've got several of you that that have read it. Um and and so you will understand when I when I make these statements um in brother Ken Gurley's book, um he writes particularly about the incense. He writes about about the aroma of of prayer. And um he made a comment in this book. He said there was and he he he he made this little statement of uh of a gentleman that was a salesperson.

He was a salesman in England and he was making his way through all of these stores. I'm sure he had something to sell them. How many you know salesmen always have something to sell? Logan got anything to sell? But he's but he has he was there doing his job and it's busy.

The streets are busy and he said, you know, he hears he hears this horn go off and you know, he he just goes in the store. He finishes up what he's doing in there and he walks back out on the street and the story says that when he walked back out on the street, there was something there was a smell that hit his nose and he immediately stopped and said, "Where is the flower garden? Where is where is that odor coming from?" Stops him in the middle of what he's doing and he's trying to figure it out. He asked somebody coming down the street. He says, "Where where is the flower h flower store?

Where's the flower garden?" He said, "I smell it." And one of them laughed at him and says, "You you didn't hear the horn go off?" So that horn goes off and people go to go to lunch. It's from the from the perfume factory that's just down the road. And he made this statement. He says when those people are in that type of atmosphere, when they leave that atmosphere and they begin to walk around and with other people, guess what? They smell that that aroma that that uh type of perfume gets into your clothes.

That's just like us when we leave the house of God. was a lady that visited here just a few weeks back and um we got to meet with her again this just a couple of days ago and um but she showed up at church and the reason she we we just happened to be in Walmart after church. Now I know some of you probably as soon as you walk into Walmart all the Holy Ghost leaves you. Um but but we walked into Walmart and we're doing our thing and and uh this lady walks over and of course she immediately recognizes Ian. He's dressed up and got a white shirt on and and she didn't recognize me.

She recognized he but but she came over and she says she said, "Y'all been to church?" Yes, ma'am. We've been to church. She said, she said, "What they talk about?" I said, "They talked about Jesus." And she said, "Tell me a little bit more." I told her, "No other name given under heaven whereby we must be saved." Boy, she just went nuts. Just right there in the stores. She said, "I want to shout right here." But again, what what I'm getting at is is that you bring an atmosphere with you.

you bring something with you into a conversation. You know, uh I don't know about you, but I don't like I don't like for people to come and get down when I'm down. Don't come down here and wallow with me. I I need you to come lift me up. And that is that is what God has has planned for us is he wants you to be able to step out of your comfort zone, so to speak.

He wants you to be able to bring that light, bring that that aroma to this world. You see, the fragrances and the aroma can can change change other people's atmosphere as well. Other people are having that downtime. The other people are having the the the hurt feelings and the the things that is going on in their life. and and we don't go in there and just talk about the down.

That is not what you do. You're down, but we need to get out of that. And that's what we're we're sent to do as the people of God being triumphant. Paul talks to his to the people at Corenth. His second letter to Corenth, he's saying he's saying, "People, you are the ones that bring the fragrance to the crowd.

You're the ones that brings the anointing to the crowd. You're the ones that people can have their healings to the crowds. When you would see crowds and Jesus would talk about that in in the scripture and he would talk that scripture would tell us that he would himself he would become so so grieved in the spirit. There was times that he felt he felt his heaviness because of the crowds. Why is because he saw the loneliness in the crowd.

He saw the hurting in the crowd. And he would go and he would find those people. I wrote this down and I I didn't even bring my sticky note. Oh my. Maybe I can remember, but I wrote this down just a day or so ago.

You see, kingdom work, when we do kingdom work, the majority of kingdom kingdom work is in the crowd. It it it's it's out there where everybody else is. You know, we come together and we come together to to to lift each other up and and to magnify God and and to strengthen one another. But the truth is, when we leave here, we don't need to go as big crowds. No, we have to go and we have to do our own ministry.

He has called us to go and make disciples. He calls us to go and lift those people out of the slums and out of the out of the pits that they're in. He give us that obligation. He tells us to do that. What kind of what kind of odor are you leaving?

What kind of fragrance are you leaving? What are you leaving to the people that you walk away from every day at work? Is it is it that that they have the the the the bad jokes going on and you're laughing about them? Think about it. The guys at work have just figured out and what is it, eight months now?

They've just figured out that that I'm I'm a Christian godly man that goes to church and speaks and does all of that. They're starting to figure that out. But I had one come in the office about five months ago and uh he wanted to say something. He was really just he was boiling and he said he says I I know you're not a and he said cursing man. That's how he said it.

But he wanted to tell me something and of course he tells me what's going on and he did slip up a few times and he he then he when he got ready to leave he apologized for how he said and I said I said man said I appreciate you you you're not saying it around me but I get where you're going and and just kind of talk to him that way. And then then every time he'd get around me, he'd tell him, "Hey, don't talk. Don't talk that way." Again, it's it's a part of what we bring to people. I didn't have to get up there and proclaim anything. You don't have to you don't have to get out there and get on a platform and tell people that you're a Christian.

All you have to do is live for God. Do your daily devotions, that's a question ask. Have you read your Bible today? Have you talked to the Lord today? Th those are those questions we ask ourselves.

Th Have you done those things? As long as you're doing those things, you bring and change the atmosphere. You change the atmosphere. The scripture tells us that we bring his we we bring that fragrance of his knowledge. That's what the scripture said.

We bring that fragrance of his knowledge understanding who he really is. So that lets me know that I have to I have to do what? Study. I have to study to to show myself approved. That's what the scripture tells us.

And when we study then then when what comes out of our mouth is what we're talking about is the goodness of God and and how that God changed our life and how God can change your life and how that things can be different. The scripture tells us Isaiah 40 and1 and you can write this down because I'm just going to use that short phrase right in the front of it says comfort my people. Comfort ye comfort ye my people. He he he he makes that statement and that is what God has sent his people to do in our day and time. Bring comfort to them.

bring an understanding to them. Help them to understand that God, you are the reason that I live. You are the one that that has provided for me. And when people can see what God has done in your life, they will turn and it changes everything. When's the last time that you have entered a room and things has changed?

When's the last time that you have witnessed to somebody and when you left that that location of where they were that that you left them upbeat? That you left them with a better understanding that life is is worth living? Life is something in our day and time and and I will just derail for just a moment. In our day and time with everything that is going on in our world, this world needs an atmosphere change. The people in your life, the people that you are around needs an atmosphere change.

They need to know that that there is hope in this world. I I sat and listened to an individual just yesterday uh talk about how that how that things was just one thing after another was happening. He told me he said he said man I got home and three of my pigs was dead understand I work in Jasper. He said three of my pigs were dead. He said, "Then we got all of that straight and he said, I decided I needed to go get some stuff from the from the store and he said took off and he said, "Man, I my car stopped.

Just stalled out. Don't know what's going on." And it was like three or four things had happened to him. And he he just kept on talking about all this stuff. And I I just stopped him. I said, "Okay, buddy." I said, "What you doing about all that?" I said, "What what are you doing?" He says, "Well," he said, "I guess I'm going to fix the car." I said, "Yes, sir.

Fix the car." And we talked through what was going on with it, and you know, hopefully it fixed it, but at the same time, here here's the thing. I could get there and start talking about my problems. I could get there and we could all just we could just get down in the grub and just all of us just just as the old saying goes mully grub. We could we could do that. How many of you today have problems?

I want you to raise your hand. Look at this. Look. Oh, we got one two hands up. Again, I bring this to you because I want you to understand this is not this is life.

This just these are things that happen to us and we can't just ignore it and say, "Well, it'll go away." No. But we can approach it different. We can either take it the lemons and make lemonade, right? We we can take those things that that the devil meant for evil and allow God to use it for his for his glory. Allow it to be something that he he helps us and we learn lessons through those things.

God, help us that we can learn the smell of Christ to know that in the midst of storms, in the midst of is there a voice in the midst of the storm? Yes, there is. In the midst of a a a bad situation, that there is there is a hope that can enter the room. In the midst of whatever we're faced with, God, you're here with us. I'm truly thankful today for the things that God's done in my life.

Thankful for the things that he's brought me through. Thankful for for allowing us to And I don't know about you, but there's there has been a lot of trials and a lot of tests that I've faced over the years. And I thank God for those. They they teach us. Amen.

They build my faith because God, you helped me. You helped me get this far. You helped me to get through this. And And you Yeah, it it may have been and I'm thinking, "Oh, Lord, it was it was right there at the edge." Yeah. But he was on time.

And sometimes I thought it was after time. And truly, he was on time. He helped us. It is what you make of it. What is the atmosphere that you're setting?

What is the fragrance that you have brought into your homes? Is it something and and I I I hate to bring this up over and over, but just not long ago, a few months back, uh uh our our two grandsons, they're there at the house, and they're there just about every day. and they happened to there was this YouTube that they wanted to watch and so we brought the YouTube up let them watch that little YouTube and I I don't remember what it was about don't but most of the time it's bugs but this particular one this little guy he's catching fish and and I like to catch fish so I thought well this be good going to watch. Well, little Gunny just decides that he he all of a sudden he starts saying this little by word and it's what it wasn't one of the bad bad ones. Okay, it it was one of the white ones.

But I heard that and he said it again and I was like, so I started watching a little YouTube and this little guy, he would say it constantly and I was like, so I finally I said, "Okay guys, back to the bugs." We turned it off and it took a it took a few days. They want to watch it again. They wanted to watch it again. And I said, "No, buddy. We can't watch that." Why?

because he said this word and I made it clear to what why we wasn't going to watch it. And now the little fellow runs around and somebody says it. They even say it around here sometimes and he'll say, "Aba, they said again, what type of atmosphere are we setting? What kind of what kind of atmosphere do we have at home? Are we are we giving them the free reign to just discover whatever?

Because the truth is there comes a point when they go to school and they go to their their lives outside of the home. At some point they are setting atmospheres as well. And most of the whirlwinds that started started within the home. Most of those issues that they end up with started at home. God, help me to be able to set the atmosphere, set the tone for my children and my grandchildren and those that are around in my own personal life that that we make sure that we're bringing Christ into that picture that we bring Christ into it and they are they are understanding that.

And then then there comes that day there comes that day when there is a scent when they have lost maybe something along the way but there's a scent that comes through the air and it reminds them. I don't know about you, but there there are things that I can be in the midst of prayer and it takes me back to a certain point in time in my life. I remember one particular time that I did not understand what God was doing in my life. And I was I was back where my dad pastored uh several years ago. I was I was there and and and I literally crawled up underneath the old piano.

Thank God it didn't fall, but it was one of those old baby grand. Literally crawled underneath that thing because I was just I it seemed I could not get off of the floor and and God began to work on me and I stayed there for such a long time. And there are times when and and and I understand that now, but I didn't understand it at the time. But there are times when God would sweep in just just this past Sunday that God swap in. He come into this room and I felt that heavy not sad but God says hey stop and I felt that it took me back pastor to when I crawled under that piano.

What was it? It was a fragrance that had came into the room and it swept underneath my nose and I felt it once again. I'm here to tell you something today. No matter what you are going through, God has he can change whatever that atmosphere is, whatever you're going through in your families, whatever you're facing in in life itself, God can change that. I I I you you meet people, all types of people throughout your life, and there are people that just really they can't handle pressure, right?

Got those. They can't handle pressure. They They don't know how to handle that. That same God that that swept in Sunday and I smelt that same smell can also take whatever you're going through. Even though you can't handle pressure, there are things that God does in an atmosphere that allows me to step off of that whirlwind and realize that he is still God.

That is something we have to understand that God, you are still on the throne. You are still on the throne. And I I I I want to make sure that I I am setting that atmosphere for whatever God I challenge you and and we have we have definitely been seeing God do some things in our midst. We have seen God, there is a change going on in in CAC. There is a change that is happening and and I I I I can't put my finger on it, but I do know that there is something happening in the spiritual world that God is shining favor and he's showing he's showing us some deeper walks.

He's showing us some things. And I want you as a as a group, I want you to understand there are certain things that we've got to be able to to to take it outside of this building. We've got to set those atmospheres outside here. When's the last time you talked about a Sunday night or a Sunday? When's the last time you talked about service?

Took it to work with you, explaining to people what what God was doing. Well, they don't want to hear that. Yeah, they do. They may act like they don't, but they will never forget when you mention the name of Jesus around them. They won't forget that.

One of the guys that I was I was referring to earlier, he he literally was sick Monday. Could not make it to work. He texts my number and says, "I'm sick. Will you pray for me?" can't make it to work. He's one of my workers, folks.

Why did he ask for that? Because he's come in my office and sat down and I allowed him to just spill whatever was going on in his life. Folks, it's real. You can you can create the atmosphere. You can create an atmosphere of worship wherever you are.

People can sense God in you. They can sense God. That's what Paul was telling the church at Corinth. You go into a group of people, let them smell that aroma. Allow them to smell Jesus on you.

Allow them to to have that scent go through their nostrils and they will not forget about it. I want you to lift your hands with us right now. Would you do that? I really feel that that God is wanting us to go to a deeper depth in him. Feel that he wants us to to reach deeper into what he has for us.

God, we love you and we thank you, Lord, for your presence that we feel. Thank you Lord that I have this opportunity. Thank you Lord that I have the opportunity to worship you that I have the opportunity to share with others to share with others outside of my life. God, I thank you for that. God, help me to be that one that's able to change someone else's life and in their atmosphere.

But not only that they see me, but they see you in me, God. In the name of Jesus. In the name of Jesus. Hallelujah. in the name of Jesus.

Just as I mentioned just a few moments ago about the different fragrances that bring back memories, you can set a fragrance in your in your life. You can set that fragrance when you face somebody. They know when you come in the room. They know when you walk in the room. And I'm not talking about a physical fragrance.

Not talking about that. It is a spirit that that surrounds you, God. I want your spirit around me. I want your presence around me that when I walk into a room that they can feel your presence, God, they can feel that anointing that flows and to be able to change. And I I will tell you this, I don't know if you've been there, but I have.

There are some that would be unclean and when you come in the room, they don't want to be around it. Why? Because they they don't want change. They don't they don't even want anything to do with that. They'll leave your presence.

That's okay. That's okay. Because they understand. As a matter of fact, that just shows how big our God is. That shows me, God, you're great.

Thank you, Lord. It allows you to It opens the windows of of your your understanding to see what God is doing. There has been people that came into your life and my life and I I will say this for myself. There's people that came into my life that I knew because the Holy Ghost would speak it into you, you would know whether it was good or bad. what we're talking about that atmosphere.

God, use me to help somebody else. Oh, glory. Won't you lift your hands once again in the name of Jesus? I thank you, Lord, for this opportunity to worship you. Thank you, Lord, because I know that you are God and you work through us in the name of Jesus.

Amen. Amen.