A HORRIBLE STENCH

WE ALL GET OFFENDED BY AND TRY TO AVOID A TERRIBLE SMELL.  THE SMELL OF A DEAD SKUNK LYING ON THE ROAD, TRASH CANS BEFORE SCHEDULED GARBAGE PICK UP, PAPER MILLS AND CHEMICAL PLANTS ALL CARRY AN OFFENSIVE ODOR.  LAST NIGHT AT CHURCH, BRO DAVID DELIVERED THE WORD.  HIS SERMON WAS BASED ON JOHN 11, THE DEATH OF LAZARUS.  IT WAS A TRULY AWESOME MESSAGE.  BY THE TIME HE GOT TO JOHN 11:39, I KNEW EXACTLY WHAT I WOULD WRITE ABOUT TODAY, THE WORDS OF THIS "NOTE" WERE ALREADY FORMING THEMSELVES IN MY MIND. 
  
JOHN 11:39 SAYS JESUS SAID,"TAKE AWAY THE STONE."  MARTHA, THE SISTER OF HIM WHO WAS DEAD, SAID TO HIM, "LORD, BY THIS TIME THERE IS A STENCH, FOR HE HAS BEEN DEAD FOUR DAYS."  THIS SCRIPTURE REALLY DEALT WITH MY MIND AND SPOKE TO MY HEART LAST NIGHT.  IN FACT, AS SOON AS I GOT HOME FROM CHURCH, I BEGAN TO LOOK UP THE WORD "STENCH."  I FOUND THAT THIS WORD IS ACTUALLY USED IN 20 SCRIPTURES THROUGHOUT THE BIBLE.  AS I LOOKED AT THE VARIOUS SCRIPTURES, THE LORD SHOWED MY HOW EACH ONE, EVEN THOUGH USED IN A DIRRERENT CONTEXT, BASICALLY MEANT ONE THING. 
  
A STENCH IS DEFINED AS A BAD SMELL, AN OFFENSIVE ODOR, A STINK.  BEFORE I REPENTED OF MY SINS AND RECEIVED THE ULTIMATE GIFT OF SALVATION, I WALKED AROUND CARRYING A HORRIBLE STENCH.  I MIGHT HAVE LOOKED PRESENTABLE AND CARRIED THE SCENT OF AN AWESOME PERFUME, BUT ON THE INSIDE....I STUNK!  NO PERFUME COUNTER AT DILLARD'S OR ANYWHERE ELSE COULD TAKE AWAY THE DECAYED ODOR OF MY SOUL.  JOHN 11:39 TELLS US THAT LAZARUS LAY DEAD IN THE TOMB FOR FOUR DAYS.  MY SOUL HAD BEEN IN A SERIOUS STATE OF DECAY FOR YEARS!  I CONTRIBUTED DAILY TO THE STENCH.  EVERY LIE I TOLD, EVERY DRUG I CONSUMED, EVERY MOMENT OF ANGER AND EVERY DENIAL OF WHAT IS GOOD FED MY ODOR OF DEATH AND DESTRUCTION. 
  
NOTHING HERE ON EARTH COULD HAVE RESTORED MY INNER BEING.  THERE WAS NOT A HUMAN BEING AROUND WHO COULD HAVE CLEANSED MY SOUL.  I MIGHT HAVE BEEN PLEASING TO THE EYE, BUT LOOKS CAN BE DECEIVING.  AT THE COMMAND OF JESUS, LAZARUS ROSE FROM THE GRAVE, STILL BOUND WITH GRAVE CLOTHES.   HAND, FOOT AND FACE.  ONCE AGAIN, AT THE COMMAND OF JESUS, LAZARUS STEPPED OUT OF HIS BINDINGS AND RETURNED FROM THE DEAD!  JESUS RESTORED MY SOUL IN THE SAME MANNER.  IT WAS ONLY BY HIS COMMAND THAT I SHED MY GRAVE CLOTHES AND LOST THE STENCH OF DEATH.  THROUGH THE SHEDDING OF HIS BLOOD, MY SINS WERE WASHED AWAY.  AT THE COMMAND OF JESUS, I WAS SET FREE!  BY HIS FORGIVENESS, HIS GRACE, HIS MERCY AND HIS LOVE, I WAS BORN AGAIN AS A NEW CREATURE IN CHRIST!  IT IS ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO DESCRIBE THE WAY I FEEL TODAY. 
  
WE SERVE SUCH A MIGHTY GOD!  HE LOVES TO CLEAN UP OUR MESSES.  MY MESS WAS HORRIBLE, WITH A HORRIBLE STENCH!  HAVE YOU ALLOWED HIM TO REMOVE THE STENCH OF SIN FROM YOUR SOUL?  JESUS CHRIST RAISED LAZARUS FROM THE DEAD.  HE CLEANSED MY SOUL AND RESTORED MY MIND.  IF HE DID IT FOR ME, HE CAN AND HE WILL SURELY DO IT FOR YOU!