Move up a little bit so it is easier.
We will read from 2 Corinthians 2:12.
Now when I came to Troas for the publication of the glad tidings of the Christ, and a door was also opened to me in the Lord,
I had no rest in my spirit at not finding Titus, my brother; but, bidding them adieu, I came away to Macedonia.
But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in the Christ, and makes manifest the odor of His knowledge through us in every place.
For we are a sweet odor of Christ to God, in the saved and in those that perish:
to the one, an odor from death unto death; but to the other, an odor from life unto life. And who is sufficient for these things?
For we do not, as the many, make a trade of the word of God; but as of sincerity, but as of God, before God, we speak in Christ.
May we look to the Lord.
Our Father, we do praise and thank Thee. Through the blood of our Lord Jesus, and through His broken body, we have boldness and access to come to Thy very presence. Oh, how we praise and thank Thee for this privilege, that we may behold Thee, hear Thy voice, and be touched by Thee.
So, Lord, we just open ourselves to Thee at this moment, and we ask that Thy word shall become living and operative. Give us understanding; give us revelation and wisdom, that we may truly know Thee and know Thy life. We ask in Thy precious name. Amen.
Lately, we have been considering together this matter of spiritual life. We mentioned from the very outset that 2 Corinthians is almost like Paul’s autobiography. In other words, if we want to know Paul—a man in Christ—then we have to study this second letter to the Corinthians.
In this letter, he reveals to us the importance of spiritual life. In other words, what is spiritual life that is truly spiritual life indeed, and not a counterfeit or a substitute?
We mentioned before two things. One is the sentence of death. Unless there is the sentence of death in us, we will never experience true spiritual life, which is resurrection life.
To put it simply, without knowing death, there can be no knowledge of life. Death must work in us; death must deal with us before the life of our Lord Jesus will be manifested. So first of all, we remember that spiritual life has within it the element of the sentence of death in ourselves.
Then the second element is, “Yes, in Christ Jesus.” All the promises of God are yes in Him, and amen through us. It is not I—the sentence of death—but Christ: yes, in Christ.
Now this morning, we would like to come to the third element of true spiritual life, and that is the fragrance of Christ.
The occasion for this is very startling, because Paul said that he came to Troas for the publication of the gospel. A door also being opened to him in the Lord, yet he had no rest in his spirit because he did not find Titus, his brother.
You remember that Paul was in Ephesus. He wrote a letter to the church in Corinth, having heard of their condition. After he wrote that letter—the first letter to the Corinthians—he was so concerned for them that he sent Titus to Corinth.
Whether Titus was the bearer of the first letter to the Corinthians or not, we are not sure. But one thing we do know is that Titus went to Corinth to try to help them, to restore them, and to prepare the way for Paul’s visit.
Then Paul left Ephesus and came to Troas for the publication of the gospel. The Lord opened a door for him, but he had no rest in his spirit. Why? Because he did not find Titus there.
Evidently, he and Titus had some prior arrangement. Titus would go to Corinth to prepare the way and help the Corinthian believers. Then he would come to Troas. As Paul arrived at Troas, they would meet there, and Titus would tell Paul what had actually happened.
But when Paul arrived at Troas, Titus was not there. For some reason, he was delayed. Therefore, Paul had no way to know the effect of his first letter upon the Corinthian believers—whether they would accept his letter and repent, or whether they would harden their hearts further against him.
Not knowing exactly what had happened, he had no rest in his spirit. He did not know what to do. He was actually in a kind of suspense, and because of that, he could not do the work in Troas. The door was wide open, but he had no desire, no heart. He could not do the work.
So he left Troas and sailed straight to Macedonia, instead of going to Corinth first and then from Corinth to Macedonia, back to Corinth, and from Corinth back to Judea, as he had told the Corinthian believers. The reason he went straight to Macedonia, without passing through Corinth, was that he wanted to wait until he knew what had happened.
Now, brothers and sisters, in a sense, this sounds like defeat. He went to Troas for the gospel, and the door was wide open. We would think he should stay there. If the door were closed, of course, he could not do anything. But if the door was open for the gospel, surely Paul should stay there and preach the gospel. But he did not do that.
There was unrest in his spirit, so he left. He went to Macedonia. It sounds as if Paul was defeated. We might think that he should be stronger than that. He should not be so anxious. He should overcome his own feelings and continue with his responsibility.
But he left. He went to Macedonia. Yet listen to the next verse:
But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in the Christ, and makes manifest the odor of His knowledge through us in every place.
In 2 Corinthians 2:13, he said, “I had no rest in my spirit, so I left.” Now, in 2 Corinthians 2:14, he said, “Thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ.”
These two verses do not seem to fit each other. The preceding verse seems to tell us that Paul was defeated, but the next verse tells us that God always leads us in triumph in Christ Jesus. He is triumphant. How can he be defeated in one moment and triumphant in another moment? Or how can he be defeated and triumphant at the same time?
Now, dear brothers and sisters, this is spiritual life. Spiritual life is a paradox. You may see two opposites, as if they are conflicting and contradicting each other; yet spiritual life is just a combination of these two.
Paul said, “I had no rest in my spirit.” That shows the humanity in him. “God always leads us in triumph in Christ Jesus”—that shows the divinity in Paul.
What is spiritual life? Spiritual life is not the elimination of humanity. It is not to eliminate the human side in us and make us into spirits. A lot of people think that, to be spiritual, you literally become a spirit. You are no longer a human being.
You will have no feeling whatsoever. You will never feel tired or weary. You will never be disappointed or discouraged. You will never be tempted. You will never fail. You are infallible. You are always strong. You are never weak. You never become anxious or worried. You are not human; you are a spirit.
But, dear brothers and sisters, this is not spiritual life. Spiritual life does not eliminate the human side in us. As long as we live, as long as we are in this body, we will feel. We will be tired, disappointed, and tempted. We may fall. The human side is always there.
Spirituality is not total, independent divinity. In other words, spiritual life is the life of Christ in us. There is divine life in us, but the container of divine life is human life.
We have a treasure in earthen vessels. The vessel is fragile. The vessel can crack. The vessel can be broken. But thank God, through the cracking and breaking of the vessel, the light of the treasure is manifested. Now, this is spiritual life.
Spiritual life is neither the total elimination of humanity nor the total, independent manifestation of divinity. It is divinity manifested in humanity. That is spiritual life.
Paul is human, and he is not trying to hide his humanity. Oftentimes, we try to hide our human side. When there is a weakness, we try to hide it, to cover it. We feel that if the weakness is known, it will bring disgrace to God and shame to us. So everybody tries to hide his weakness. Everybody tries to hide his human side.
We always try to put up a front, as if we are always strong, always happy, always joyful, always triumphant. We do not want to confess that there is unrest in our spirit. We do not want to confess that there is weakness in us. We do not want to confess that we may fail.
But, dear brothers and sisters, do not try to be superhuman. God wants us to be human.
It is for this very reason that Christ came into this world. If He did not want us to be human in the first place, He would not have created us as human beings. If He did not want us to be human in the second place, He would not have sent His Son into this world to be a human being like us. If He did not want us to be human, then He would not have died on the cross in our stead.
Redemption does not eliminate humanity. Redemption is to rescue humanity. We have fallen. Because we have fallen, we are subhuman; sometimes we are inhuman. Therefore, Christ came to redeem us, that we may be human beings as God means us to be.
So, brothers and sisters, treasure the humanity in us. Treasure the human side of our life. Do not make the mistake of thinking that we are no longer human, and whenever anything that smells human comes out of us, we are ashamed of it and try to hide it. Not at all.
Paul frankly confessed that he had no rest in his spirit. He could not continue the work in Troas, so he sailed for Macedonia.
Now, what is meant by the sentence of death? Do we not say that we have to know the sentence of death in us? We have to have the answer of death in us. Now, what does it mean?
Remember, the sentence of death, or the cross, does not destroy humanity. It does not destroy the human side of us. The reason we must have the sentence of death in us is because our humanity has fallen.
We have to be delivered from the tyranny of our self-life. We have to be delivered from our natural energy, from our human wisdom, and from our self-glory. That is to say, we have to be delivered from this self-life in us. But that does not destroy our soul; that does not destroy our individuality.
What is fallen needs to be delivered, but what is created only needs to be purified. God has created us as human beings, and He wants us to be human beings today and forever, even in eternity. He wants us to be human beings. He wants to deliver us that we may be human; He wants to purify us that we may be as human as He wants us to be.
I think this is something that we have to be reminded of again and again, because oftentimes we do not think that way.
But thank God. On the one hand, you find humanity—the human side. But, at the same time, on the other hand, you find divinity—the divine life in us.
God puts His life in us, but that does not deify us. Thank God, we have His life in us, but we are not being deified. We are human beings, and His life in us is manifested in this human vessel.
You remember Paul says, “When I am weak, then am I strong.” Therefore, “I boast in my weaknesses, that the power of God may be manifested.” The power of God is perfected in my weakness.
Here you find the weakness of man, and there you see the power of God. The weakness of man does not interfere with the power of God. On the contrary, the power of God is made perfect in the weakness of man.
If we are strong, if our human life is complete and intact, then the power of God has no way to manifest itself. It is only because there is weakness in us that the power of God has the perfect opportunity to manifest itself.
In Galatians 2:20, Paul said:
I have been crucified with Christ;
and it is no longer I that live,
but Christ liveth in me:
and that life which I now live in the flesh
I live in faith, the faith which is in the Son of God,
who loved me, and gave Himself up for me.
“I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I, but Christ who lives in me.” In other words, a certain part of “I” is eliminated, but a certain part of “I” is still there.
The “I” that is eliminated is the self-life, the fallen life. But the “I” in me that remains is the humanity that God has created and is now being purified. So, it is Christ who lives in me. When I am weak, then I am strong.
Here you find Paul saying, “I had no rest in my spirit,” and it was evident. He did not try to hide it. All the brothers in Troas noticed it, and probably some of them said, “Ah, Paul, look at yourself. Are you ashamed of yourself?”
I remember many years ago—back in 1937—I was in Canton, serving the Lord. I was sick, so an elderly sister took me into her home for rest. This sister was newly saved.
While I was in their home, I was so restless. I felt that the weather there did not fit me. Hong Kong was so humid and hot; it did not fit me at all, and I was unwell. I was thinking all the time, “I must leave. I must go somewhere.” I had my mind set on a mountain. I wanted to go to that mountain very much and rest there.
So I prayed and prayed, asking the Lord, “Lord, what do You want me to do? I need rest. Where should I go?” But all the time, I was thinking of that mountain, and I was so restless.
One day, that sister came to me and said, “Brother, why are you so restless?” She noticed it. Oh, I was so ashamed of myself. I was the one who was supposed to help her spiritually, and now my restlessness was shown because I could not hide it.
Now, brothers and sisters, if brothers and sisters noticed restlessness in me, it was a small thing, because I was no good anyway. But with Paul, the great apostle Paul, he had no rest in his spirit, and the brothers and sisters noticed that. Oh, they may have turned away from Paul.
But thank God that they might not see Paul as more than what he was. That is what Paul wanted: that no one would see him higher than what he really was.
You know, brothers and sisters, we always want people to see us as higher than what we really are. We want to appear more spiritual than we really are. And when we are discovered, my, we want to hide.
But not Paul. Paul was open. He was transparent. He not only let the people know he had no rest in his spirit, but he told it to the Corinthian believers too. He said, “No rest in my spirit. That is what I am. I am a weak vessel.”
But thanks be unto God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ Jesus. Even when Paul was weak, he was strong. How is that possible?
Even the believers in Troas, though they saw his restlessness, at the same time saw Christ in him. You say, “Can it be possible?” It is possible.
In spite of his restlessness, the fragrance of Christ diffused from Paul. Even in his failure, there was victory. He fell, but Christ overcame.
You know, there is a motto of the Keswick Convention. I do not know whether you know the Keswick Convention. The Keswick Convention has been convened, I think, since the turn of the century. Every year, in the second week of July, in Keswick, England, there is a Keswick Convention, and saints from all over the world go there to hear messages on victory.
There is a motto at the Keswick Convention: “When you fall, shout victory.”
When you fall, shout victory. Now, how can you do that? That does not seem true. When you fall, cry before you shout victory. How can it be?
Now, brothers and sisters, there is a secret there. When you fall, shout victory. Why? Because you fall, but Christ never falls, and His power is manifested in your weakness.
When you fall and cry, you think of yourself. You pity yourself. You fall into yourself, and you fall deeper. But when you fall, you shout victory. You say, “Lord, I cannot do better. That is what I am, but You are best. I look up to You, and I praise You.”
Brothers and sisters, it is at that time that you find the victory of Christ manifested. That is the secret.
Our problem with spiritual life is that we want to be strong. We want to be spiritual. “This is what I am. Look at me. How strong, how spiritual I am.” That is what we want, but this is not spiritual life.
This is soulish spirituality. You are trying to be spiritual. That is not real.
Real spiritual life is this: on the one hand, there is the weakness and frailty of the vessel—the humanity. Yet, at the same time, there is the strength and glory of divinity, the divine life manifested. That is spiritual life.
It is a combination of the human and the divine. It is a blending of weakness and strength. It is a coming together of tears and shouts. That is spiritual life: God always leads us in triumph in Christ Jesus.
Paul seemed to be defeated in Troas, and yet, even so, God overruled. God overruled.
When he arrived in Macedonia, Titus arrived, and he brought good news, a good report, and Paul’s spirit was lifted. So, dear brothers and sisters, just be true and real. It is all right to be human.
But do not forget: when you are weak, then you are strong. No rest in spirit, yet always in triumph in Christ Jesus.
“And makes manifest the odor of His knowledge through us in every place.” You know, odor, or aroma, or fragrance, is the most intangible thing.
A color you can see. Music you can hear. But odor—you cannot see an odor, and you cannot hear an odor. You can only smell it.
When an odor is there, when an aroma is there, it just spreads spontaneously. You do not need to make an effort to make it smell. If you have perfume here, you do not make an effort to make the perfume smell. If the perfume is here, it just diffuses spontaneously and unconsciously. There is no control.
You do not see anything, you do not hear anything, and yet it is there. It has its effect because it spreads so quietly, and yet so spontaneously and unconsciously.
Now, we are the fragrance of Christ. That is the way it ought to be. In other words, it is not that we try hard to smell good. We try hard to be spiritual. We try hard. No effort, no effort.
If the fragrance is there, it will diffuse. Suppose you work in a perfume factory. All day you are working there. You do not put any perfume on yourself, but if you work in a perfume factory, after a day’s work, when you return home, everybody will smell the perfume.
It is there. And that is what spiritual life is: the fragrance of Christ.
It is not something produced by effort. You do not even need to apply it. But because of your life with Christ, that fragrance is there in your life, and it will diffuse.
In spite of your weakness and failure—and sometimes because of your weakness—it is magnified. Is that not strange?
You remember Mary, who came to anoint the Lord Jesus with a pound of nard. That pound of nard was stored in an alabaster flask, and it had a stopper.
The alabaster flask is a beautiful vessel. But as long as it has a stopper and is not broken, the pound of nard is still there, but there is no fragrance. An alabaster flask is good to look at. It may be good to touch. It may be fine and delicate. But there is no fragrance—no fragrance.
It is only when the stopper is taken out and the flask is broken that the oil is poured upon the head and feet of our Lord Jesus. The Bible says the fragrance spread all over the house. Everybody smelled it.
Oftentimes, we consider ourselves as an alabaster flask. Actually, we are earthen vessels.
How we try to protect that alabaster flask. We will not let anyone touch us. It is to be put on the mantle, and people are to admire it.
But as long as it is intact, as long as it pretends to be perfect, the oil, the ointment, the fragrance, the radiance of Christ, is imprisoned.
Let it be broken. Break it over the Lord. Only when we are willing to be broken will the fragrance of Christ spread all over the house.
Brothers and sisters, do not be downhearted because you fail. Do not feel too ashamed because brothers and sisters notice that you are still human. Thank God for that.
You never know: when you are broken, the fragrance of Christ is manifested. Formerly, it was you; but now, it is no longer you. It is Christ. Now that is spiritual life.
Of course, this fragrance, this aroma of Christ, comes from our knowledge of Him. As we know Him—know Him in an experiential way, really know Him, not merely in the mind but in life and experience—the fragrance is manifested.
When you have no rest in your spirit, it seems as if you fail, and yet He leads you in triumph in Christ. That is an experience. When you are weak, then you are strong. That is an experience. Now, that is the knowledge of Christ, and the knowledge of Christ becomes that fragrance.
Brothers and sisters, it is something in your life. You do not need to open your mouth. Now, I do not mean that you should not open your mouth. I really want to encourage brothers and sisters to open your mouth. I feel that many brothers’ and sisters’ mouths are sealed, but they are not sealed by God; they are sealed by the enemy. They need to be unsealed.
We should praise the Lord. We should magnify His name. We should testify to His goodness. We should offer the sacrifice of praise, for the praise of our lips is a sacrifice unto God. We should, we should.
But I am speaking of another thing: do not think that your knowledge of the Lord must come through your mouth. If that is the case, it is just too sad. If your knowledge of Christ has to come through your mouth, it is just too sad. It shows that it is merely mental knowledge.
If you have a real knowledge of Christ, even when you are saying nothing, it diffuses. Even when you fail, it diffuses. That is what fragrance is. You have no control over it.
Just like Moses’ face shone: he did not know about it.
Oh, brothers and sisters, how much do we know Him? How much do we know Him in our experience? Oftentimes, you do not experience Him until you discover your weakness, because you have no need of Him if you are strong.
But thank God, through our life experience with Him, the fragrance of Christ is with us. We become the fragrance of Christ.
Here Paul uses an illustration:
For we are a sweet odor of Christ to God, in the saved and in those that perish:
to the one, an odor from death unto death;
but to the other, an odor from life unto life.
Paul uses an illustration from Roman times. They had what they called a triumphant procession. When a general went out, conquered a country, subdued enemies, killed at least five thousand enemies, gained a complete victory, and was present in the field when the victory was won, the Roman Empire gave that conquering general its greatest honor: a triumphant procession.
When he came back, there was a procession in the city of Rome. The whole city was involved. The senators and state officials marched in front. They were followed by priests and sacrifices.
Following them were people spreading incense, burning incense. We are told that at that time, all the streets—everywhere along the streets—would have incense burning.
Then came the captives. All the captives marched before the general. They were in chains as an exhibit of his victory. Then came the general, gorgeously apparelled, and behind the general was his victorious army.
When the procession was over, those captives were either killed or sold into slavery. But those soldiers who had joined the battle were rewarded.
That is the reason Paul said that we are the odor, the fragrance of Christ. It is the same odor, the same fragrance, the same aroma, all over the city. But to the captives, it was an odor of death. Why? Because when they smelled that odor, it meant death. They were going to die.
But to the victorious army, it was from life unto life. They would live, and they would be rewarded. That is why Paul said, “Who is sufficient for these things?” Tremendous, tremendous.
Now, dear brothers and sisters, what is spiritual life? Spiritual life is not I, but Christ who lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.
What is spiritual life? Spiritual life is the sentence of death, yes in Christ, and the fragrance of Christ. You see the combination of these three elements.
On the one hand, there is the sentence of death that deals with the self-life in us. On the other hand, there is “Yes, in Christ.” It is the life of Christ, which is yes, always yes.
Yet you find that it is divine life in human life: the fragrance of Christ, which is the combination of the life of Christ and the earthen vessel. It is the life of Christ diffusing through the earthen vessel.
As we live in this world, we are the light of the world. We are the salt of the world. We are the fragrance of Christ. Dear brothers and sisters, as we go along in our life’s journey and touch different people, to some it will mean death; to others, it will mean life.
No one can touch spiritual life without either being put to death or being raised in life. This is what Christian life is. This is what spiritual life is.
Paul said, “Who is sufficient for these things?” Is that not tremendous? But this is what we are. This is what spiritual life is.
As a matter of fact, this is what Christ is. No one can touch Him without either death or life. As it is true in Christ, and spiritual life is Christ, therefore it must be true in us. So may the Lord help us. Shall we pray?
Oh, heavenly Father, we do praise and thank Thee that Thou hast not eliminated the humanity in us, but instead Thou dost purify it, Thou dost dwell in it, and Thou dost manifest Thyself through it.
O Lord, we do ask Thee that we may be open, true, and real before Thee; that we may always be humble before Thee, knowing that we are weak. It would be a surprise if we were strong.
Lord, we boast in our weakness, that Christ, the power of God, may be manifested. Lord, we do know that this is a tremendous testimony, and we do desire that we may know Thee more, that the fragrance of Christ may be increased, and Thou mayest be glorified in the church.
In the name of our Lord Jesus. Amen.