What's that Ungodly Smell?

INTRODUCTION 

Have you ever had anyone ask you, "What's that fragrance you're wearing?" 

Of all of our five senses, smell can sometimes be the most sensitive. Let's face it; there are great smells, and there some awful smells.

What are some of your favourite smells?

How many of you love the smell of bread baking? Or the smell of food being cooked? Or the smell of popcorn popping? Even better, the scent of rain on the hot pavement? The smell of a newborn baby? 

I love the smell of fresh-cut grass. I love the salty smell of the ocean.

Smell sells. How many times have you followed your nose to a bakery? 

In California, a gas station chain added a dispenser at the pump that releases the smell of freshly brewed coffee hoping to lure customers inside to buy coffee. 

Advertising companies plan on spending $80 million this year on what they're calling scent marketing. They've already got our eyes and ears, now they're going after our noses!

WE SPREAD A FRAGRANCE WHEREVER WE GO. People can often tell what you've been doing by how you smell. If you've just exercised for an hour or so, there's a certain aroma about you. When you've just eaten a meal with a lot of garlic, it's usually pretty obvious to everyone.

Smells can indicate where you've been and what you've been doing! 

When you put on cologne or perfume, you don't have to do anything except walk near a person for them to catch a whiff of your fragrance. When you've spent time with Jesus in personal worship and devotion, people will sense there is something different about you. It's like you're wearing the fragrance of Jesus Christ.

A famous quote says, "Preach the gospel at all times; use words if necessary." When you are wearing the fragrance of Christ, people will know you're a follower of Jesus without you even having to say, "I'm a Christian." The aroma of Christ is simply the personality of Christ revealed in your life by the Holy Spirit. When you are full of the Spirit of Jesus, then He will display the sweet-smelling fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, goodness, meekness, faithfulness and self-control in your life.

Scripture Reading and Prayer: 

2 Corinthians 2:15

For we are a fragrance of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing;

Welcome

Special Music

 Main Feature:                       

 Dramatization: Choose a story below to depict during sabbath school.

Esther's Story

I was a Jewish orphan girl born Hadassah, who became Esther Queen of Persia and wife of a mighty king around 475 b.c.  Many Jews lived in Persia at that time. A few years later, a man named Haman, a high official in the King's court, decided to kill all the Jews—all because of one Jewish man who wouldn't bow down to him. That man was my cousin Mordecai. Mordecai begged me to help. But that meant going to the King, and I could have been killed for doing that without permission.

You see, I had not been summoned into the royal presence for thirty days, an ominous sign that I might have lost favour in my husband's eyes. To approach my husband without an invitation was breaking the law, and I would be punished by immediate death. I had reached a crossroad of faith. I had two choices; stand up for the Lord and His chosen people, or blend into society as Persian royalty. I told Mordecai 'Go, gather all the Jews to be found in Susa, and hold a fast on my behalf, and neither eat nor drink for three days, night or day. My maids and I will also fast as you do. After that I will go to the King, though it is against the law; and if I perish, I perish'.

Narrator

Esther spread her fragrance everywhere she went, in the harem, as a young girl in training to be a wife and queen.

· In danger, coolly keeping her head instead of panicking.

· Her speech in Esther 8:5-6 showed her skill in diplomacy.

· Esther is a symbol of individuals who lived successfully in an alien culture.

· As a woman, she was not in a position of power, (any witnesses)

· As an orphan, she was separated from her parents and country(any witnesses)  

· With the possibility of death; she relied solely on God of her Fathers.

• There is nothing wrong with wanting to appear attractive, but it should never be our primary concern. Developing inner beauty is far more important. The writer of Proverbs says, "Who can find a virtuous wife? For her worth is far above rubies" (31:10). And the apostle Peter says, "Do not let your adornment be merely outward; arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel; rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God" (1 Peter 3:3-4).
• If you want real beauty, spend as much time before the mirror of God's Word as you do before the mirror in your bathroom. Let God develop an inner beauty in you that will both outshine and outlast the glamour of the world.
• Beauty without virtue is like a flower without fragrance. 

Dorcas' Story

Joppa was my home and was a major port city – a hub of business and shipping – and had a growing population. (Joppa is now known as modern-day Tel Aviv and is still a significant city and financial centre.) As with most major cities, there was a portion of the population that was not served by the city's profitable trade and business. It was these "people of the cracks," mostly widows, that I served, and who loved me so deeply. 

I was gifted with a talent for weaving and sewing, and by using that talent, I was able to share the love, and message, of the Christ.

When I fell ill, those that had experienced the love of Christ through me, called for another disciple, Peter, to come. As recorded in scripture, When Peter arrived at my home, I was dead, and the people wept. The widows cared for and with whom I had shared the love of Christ, were tenderly touching the garments I sewed for them. Peter removed the mourners from the room, and knelt to pray, after which he spoke and said, "Tabitha, arise." Peter's words awakened me from the dead and returned me to the work of caring for the "people of the cracks." Because of the miracle, many more in Joppa came to believe in Jesus as the Messiah.

Narrator

As women and men of faith ourselves, what can we learn from Dorcas? We learn to exude grace and generosity. We know to offer hands and heart to those who need it most. But, perhaps one of the most important lessons is that our legacy of love calls persons to Christ. 

The legacy of Dorcas is a fragrance that remains even today. Among the modern-day church, there are "Dorcas Societies" that are ministries designed to the poor. 

The question came to Dorcas as it did to Moses when he felt he was not the man to deliver Israel from Egyptian bondage, "What is that in thy hand?" And Moses answered, "A rod" "What is that in thy hand?" the Lord asked Dorcas. She said, "A needle," and He took what she had, and she stitched for Christ's sake. What is in your hand this morning?

Conclusion

Everything gives off a scent! Thoughts, moments, feelings, movements, words left unsaid, words barely spoken; they all have a distinct aroma, distinct fragrances! To inhale is to capture, to experience! 

You are filled with His Holy Spirit, and therefore you bring His sweet-smelling aroma into every room you enter, each hallway you pass through, every elevator you step on and each subway car you ride on. The fragrance of Christ never runs out. You can have a heavenly, luxurious aroma, and best of all, this fragrance is paid for, in full, by the One who loves you and treasures you more than you could ever imagine. Jesus.

Do you want to smell good? 

Closing Prayer