Fragrance of the Rose of Sharon
True holiness is a living thing that speaks for itself through our actions and attitudes, and it comes from a deep relationship with Christ.
G. Campbell Morgan emphasizes that true holiness is not merely spoken of but is evident in a person's life through their demeanor and actions. He illustrates this with a story about a vase that retains the fragrance of roses, suggesting that when Christ is within us, His presence should permeate our lives, making holiness apparent without the need for words. Morgan cautions against using the absence of verbal proclamation as a measure of holiness, asserting that the true essence of holiness is a beautiful spirit that naturally radiates from within.
Text
Holiness does not need to be talked about; it talks. You remember Emerson's words--I do not quote the pisissima verba, but the spirit of what he said--"I cannot hear what you say for listening to what you are." I repeat, holiness does not need to be talked about; it talks. I quite agree with you that the nearer a man lives to his Lord, the less he announces his nearness in actual words; but the more evident it is in tone and temper, and these are the things of holiness. But I pray you, do not urge the fact that if you possessed it you would not talk about it as an indication of the impossibility of possessing the character of holiness.
Holiness is a rare and beautiful spirit which permeates and pervades the whole life, and sheds its fragrance everywhere. I remember twenty years ago, in a home in which I was staying, that in one room I always detected the fragrance of roses, and I said to my host one day, "I wish you would tell me how it is that I never come into this room without seeming to detect the fragrance of roses." He smiled, and said: "Ten years ago I was in the Holy Land, and while there I bought a small phial of otto of roses.
It was wrapped in cotton wool, and as I was standing there unpacking it, suddenly I broke the bottle. I took the whole thing up, cotton wool and all, and put it into this vase." There stood a beautiful vase, and he lifted the lid, and the fragrance of the roses filled the room. That fragrance had permeated the clay of the vase, and it was impossible to enter the room without consciousness of it. If Christ be in us, the fragrance of the Rose of Sharon will pervade and permeate our whole life. We need not talk about it; but if there be no fragrance, the reason is not that if there were you would not talk of it.
Sermon Outline
- Holiness is a living thing
- It does not need to be talked about
- It is evident in tone and temper
- It permeates and pervades the whole life
Key Quotes
“Holiness does not need to be talked about; it talks.” — G. Campbell Morgan
“If Christ be in us, the fragrance of the Rose of Sharon will pervade and permeate our whole life.” — G. Campbell Morgan
Application Points
- We should strive to live a life that reflects the character of Christ.
- True holiness is not just about what we say, but about how we live and interact with others.
- A deep relationship with God is the source of true holiness.