Title: The Scent of Christ
Contents
Today's sermon is titled 'Fragrance of Christ'.
It is the same as the newly registered ‘Fragrance’ sister name.
Like the sermon title, the theme of today's sermon is "Let's become the fragrance of Christ!"
Most people love flowers.
I know that there are probably not many people who don't like flowers.
Because it smells beautiful and beautiful.
The strange and surprising thing about God's creation is that most of the objects that God created have their own odor, or fragrance.
Apples smell like apples, bananas smell like bananas, and the human body also smells.
A woman smells like a woman, a man smells like a man, and a baby smells like a baby...
People who drink alcohol smell like alcohol, and people who smoke cigarettes smell like cigarettes. People who don't wash their clothes well or haven't bathed for a long time have a musty smell.
Also, it's not a nose smell, but Christians smell like Christians, Buddhists smell like Buddhists, shamans smell like shamans, gangsters smell like gangsters, and heretics smell like heretics. Smell here means an impression that is unique to people according to their character or characteristics.
We are Christians. Then, of course, we should smell like Christians. Today's text 2 Corinthians 2:15 says, "We are the fragrance of Christ before God, both to those who are being saved and to those who are perishing."
How are we the fragrance of Christ?
Because we Christians always believe in and follow Jesus Christ and walk with Him, it is the fragrance of Christ.
For example, if you go into a house that smokes a lot (in the old days, a coffee shop) and sit down, your body smells of cigarettes even if you haven't smoked. Why? The smell of cigarette smoke in the house permeates the whole house, so the people who come into the house come out with the smell of cigarettes on their body.
If we are truly true Christians, we must smell of Christ in our faces, words, and actions. If you say you believe in Jesus and your life smells like a gangster or a liar and a deceiver, then you have a problem. This is a young faith that believes in Jesus but is not yet sanctified, or it is a dead faith.
So, what can we do to become true Christians who radiate the fragrance of Christ?
(1) Becoming an evangelizing Christian.
According to today's text, the Apostle Paul says, "They are the scent of life to those who are being saved, but to those who are perishing, they are the scent of death."
What does this mean?
Those who are to be saved, when they preach the gospel, receive the gospel humbly and move from death to life. Therefore, it becomes the fragrance of life to those who are being saved.
On the other hand, those who do not accept evangelism cannot escape eternal judgment because of their unbelief. Therefore, to those who perish, it is called the smell of death.
When we evangelize, we become the fragrance of Christ.
The woman (John 4: ) who met Jesus at the well of Suga city in Samaria entered her village and told the villagers, “Meet a man who knows even his secrets!” and became the fragrance of Christ.
The woman who lived in the city of Sychar in Samaria was a woman of bad conduct. However, after meeting Jesus, he went back to his village and preached the existence of Jesus. “The long-awaited Christ is at the well.”
The Samaritan woman is a shy person who comes to draw water in broad daylight when no one is around because of her bad manners. Then, after meeting Jesus, he forgot all his shame, left a water jar in the well, and went back to his village to preach the gospel.
Evangelism is sharing the Jesus I met like the Samaritan woman.
“I met Jesus, and I came to know the world of eternal life that I had never known.”
“I met Jesus, and I have a great hope that even death cannot destroy me.”
(2) It is to live a life of light and salt.
Jesus said, “You are the salt of the world and the light of the world” through Matthew 5:13 and 5:14.
So, what kind of life are we Christians, the light and salt of the world? There is no big difference between light and salt.
However, if we dare to divide light and salt to look at the meaning, light refers to illuminating dark places brightly, and salt refers to a substance that preserves food from decay.
Looking at this, ‘a life of light’ refers to a life that illuminates the darkened hearts of the world through one’s own life. ‘Darkness’ means despair, hatred, ignorance, malice or crime. Therefore, the light life means ‘good deeds’ as Jesus said in Matthew 5:17.
If we keep our faith well, we become light and salt.
Daniel and his three friends, they have never evangelized.
Daniel also broke the law not to pray and went into the lions' den while praying, but God sent angels and rescued me from the lion's mouth. As a result, King Darius came to believe in God.
In order to become the fragrance of Christ, we must live a life of loss.
Jesus, the apostles, and many Christians lived at a loss for the Lord. As a result, their lives became a fragrance and changed the world, and the gospel of salvation was given to us today.
Of course, that doesn't mean that merchants who believe in Jesus believe and sell.
A man came to Jesus about the inheritance of property with his brother. After his father's death, his older brother inherited the inheritance, and he did not give it to him. To this, Jesus answered, “Beware and resist all covetousness! A man's life does not consist in the abundance of what he has” (Luke 12:15).
Many people, even Christians, love money more than God and money more than their brothers. I love you more than my parents. I fight with my parents and siblings over money. Of course money is good. But you must not love God more than your parents and brothers.
We must become the fragrance of Christ and live so that the kingdom of God extends to our families and neighbors, to this country, and to the whole world.
Let's evangelize Let's show God's existence and the wonderful world of God's kingdom by living a righteous and godly life that obeys the Word and a life of beautiful love and sacrifice. So let's become us who expand the kingdom of God together with Jesus.