Our name | Mission | Vision | Leaders Ministries | Schedule | Directions | Contact Home   Gateway Church gathers for worship Sundays at 10:30 a.m. Location: 6425 Jefferson Rd. (Hwy. 129) in Athens, Georgia. For directions, click here. Ministry of the Word: Recent sermons Our quarterly e-magazine Gateway Today For the Gateway family Pastor Jerry's Weekly E-Mail A GATEWAY SERMON SUMMARY AUDIO A world full of evil (First in the series, The Life of Noah) Jerry Varnado, pastor Gateway Church, Athens GA June 3, 2007 Main Scripture text: Genesis 6:5-9. In Noah's day things got so bad that God determined it would be best to scrap this project of creation. But He didn't. What stopped Him? A man named Noah found favor with God. This is the first instance of what is repeated several times in Scripture. In Genesis 18, God sets out to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah -- but because of the intercession of Abraham, his nephew Lot and most of his family were spared. Several times God's anger against Israel is turned away by the intercession of another righteous man, Moses. This is the heart of God. He is always looking for a way to give us mercy rather than judgment. He constantly looks for righteous people who will intercede for a sin-sick world. And let us remember that God has already acted in two profound ways that give us great hope as we pray. 1) He has bridged the gap between sinful humanity and Holy God. The bridge across that divide is the cross of Jesus Christ. 2) He has instituted the Church. God has called into being a body of people who are -- to use the words of Jesus -- "salt" and "light" in this decaying, dark world. Salt does three things: 1) It enhances flavor; 2) It preserves; 3) It makes one thirsty. We are called to show that life can be flavorful when lived in accordance with God's design. We are to be a preservative in a society prone to decay. We are to live in such a way that people thirst for the quenching water of the gospel. What about light? 1) It exposes the true condition of something; 2) It aids in the recovery of lost things; 3) It helps people find their way. The application is plain. We are called and empowered to be divine light in a dark world. By the righteousness of Christ in us, let us be salt and light -- and let us intercede for a world full of evil, asking God to extend His mercy. Supporting texts: Genesis 18:16-33 | Jeremiah 18:7-10 | Ezekiel 22:30-31 | Matthew 5:13-16 | John 1:4 | John 3:19 A mp3 audio file of this sermon is here (33 min.). (Download to a PC by right clicking on the link and choosing "Save Target As." Mac users: click, hold, and choose "Download Link to Disk." Depending on your connection speed, the file may take several minutes to download.) An audio CD of the sermon summarized above is available free of charge (U.S. requests only). Request a CD by calling or writing the Gateway Church office. Please specify number 070603a: A World Full of Evil. © 2007 Gerald R. Varnado To the Gateway Church home page How to contact us