How does the Lord Jesus "smell" to you? Is He the smell of life or of death? Do you wish and long for His presence or do you reject Him? The Bible says the Lord Jesus is either a sweet fragrance to your or He is not. He either smells like life or death.
2 Cor 2
15 For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that
are saved, and in them that perish:
16 To the one [we are] the savour of death unto death; and to
the other the savour of life unto life. And who [is] sufficient
for these things?
With the Lord Jesus there is really no middle ground. A person either accepts Him or he rejects the Lord Jesus. To do nothing is the same as rejecting Him. Once a person is challenged by the Gospel call, he must make a decision. The decision made about the Lord Jesus pierces the innermost parts of a person's soul.
Luke 2
34 And Simeon blessed them, and said unto Mary his mother, Behold,
this [child] is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel;
and for a sign which shall be spoken against;
35 (Yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also,) that the
thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.
Lost people who choose to reject the Lord Jesus are choosing to love darkness and the things of the devil while rejecting God. Look at the below verses and see how those who reject the Lord Jesus actually love darkness and hate the light.
John 3
19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world,
and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh
to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.
21 But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his
deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.
People who make the choice to accept the Lord Jesus also love the light. These people love God and they love light and truth of the Word of God. It is interesting to note that those who reject the light also hate the light. These people love evil and darkness while hating the light. The light represents God and the Bible and the truths therein. Many love darkness and hell and want nothing to do with God. How many times have you heard the dumb argument... I want to go to hell because that is where all my friends are. That saying may be true but hell is not a pleasant place. Yes, a lost person's friends may all be in hell but who says a lost soul will even see his friends? Hell is a place of extreme darkness and torment. Lost people will have a body that can feel all the pain but not be consumed in the fires of hell. I assure you that no sane person really wants to go to hell if he has any conception of what hell is like. When you hear that dumb sentence, take note that you are in the presence of a person who is very blinded to the things of God and to the fate of his eternal soul. That person is one heartbeat from hell and any moment he could die very suddenly. Then he will be face to face with a lost eternity separated from God and everything that is good. Here is a description of hell from the Bible. First is the great White Throne judgment of God. This is where all the lost will stand before the Lord Jesus and then be cast into the lake of fire:
Rev 20
12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and
the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is
the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things
which were written in the books, according to their works.
13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and
hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were
judged every man according to their works.
14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is
the second death.
15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was
cast into the lake of fire.
Notice verse 12 where the lost people are judged according to their works. Since they rejected the Lord Jesus Christ in their lifetime they also rejected salvation, forgiveness of sins, and eternal life. Instead they are all judged by their works. The problem lies in the fact that we are all sinners. No one has perfect sinless "works" in life. We all sin and come short of God's perfection. That is why we need a Saviour, the Lord Jesus. But lost people have rejected all that so they are judged and condemned by their works. Verse 14 shows their final and eternal fate. They stand condemned and are cast into the lake of fire.
Burning in hell forever is called the second death. The second death involves spiritual separation from God forever and ever. The first death is the death of the physical body here on earth. The second death is to be cast into the lake of fire to burn in torment forever.
The next verse shows the constant torment of the wicked. Above we saw their final judgment and the lost being cast into the lake of fire. Below is a short description of the lost burning in hell:
Rev 14
10 The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which
is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation;
and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence
of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:
11 And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and
ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast
and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.
Notice verse 11 where the torment of the lost ascends up for ever and ever. There is no rest or peace for the lost hellbound sinner. They will suffer in the lake of fire forever with no hope of it ever ending. An eternity of torment is not a good thing.
What a terrible fate for a person! Yet lost people here on earth freely mock and reject God. These people want their false gods, their sexual sins, their earthly wealth and pleasures. What an eternal price to pay for a few years of pleasure here on earth when it is compared to a lost eternity burning in the lake of fire!
CONCLUSION
To the saved the Lord Jesus is a sweet fragrance. He smells of heaven and an eternity enjoying the presence and fellowship of God. For the lost hellbound sinner the smell of Jesus is one of death. It is a foretaste of the day when the lost will stand guilty before God and be cast alive into eternal torment burning in the lake of fire.
I strongly suggest right now that you come humbly and accept the Lord Jesus as your Lord and Saviour. We are all sinners and we cannot save ourselves. We all need a Saviour!
Rom 3
23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
Ezekiel 18
20 The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear
the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the
iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall
be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him.
As a result of our sin we all are under the penalty for sin. That penalty is death. I'm talking about the second death which involves separation from God for all eternity and burning in the lake of fire!
Luke 13
3 I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise
perish.
But there is good news for everyone! The Lord Jesus paid our penalty for sin. He literally suffered hell for us so we would not have to! Look at the below verses:
Romans 5
8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we
were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
Rom 6
23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal
life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
As a result of what the Lord Jesus did on the cross, salvation is now available. However, as an act of our will, we must receive and invite the Lord Jesus into our life to be our Lord and Saviour.
John 1
12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become
the sons of God, [even] to them that believe on his name:
What about you reader? Have you received the Lord Jesus as your Lord and Saviour? Remember to do nothing is the same as to reject Him! Right now make your decision. Do not wait unto tomorrow as it may be too late for you. In fact you have no guarantees that you will be alive just one hour from now. Therefore it is very important that you make your decision for the Lord Jesus right now. Either accept Him or reject Him. Remember that God will honor whatever choice you make.
For those who wish to receive the Lord Jesus, here is a suggested prayer:
SINNERS PRAYER
Lord Jesus, I admit that I am a sinner and I ask You to come into my life to forgive and save me. I now receive You as my Saviour (trusting in You ALONE to save me) and my Lord (making You my Master and committing my life to You).
I hope you have accepted the Lord Jesus as your Lord and Saviour. This
makes the fragrance of the Lord Jesus precious and sweet. It is a
foretaste of heaven and eternal life. For others who reject the Lord
Jesus, He becomes a stumbling block. The lost will stumble into
hell fire.
1 Peter 2
6 Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I
lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that
believeth on him shall not be confounded.
7 Unto you therefore which believe [he is] precious: but unto
them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders
disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner,
8 And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, [even to
them] which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto
also they were appointed.
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