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 Soap, fire, and holiness (First in a series) Jerry Varnado, pastor Gateway Church, Athens GA October 29, 2006 Main Scripture text: Malachi 3:1-4 Sermons in this series: Soap, Fire, and Holiness Everybody has troubles. But if you are a follower of Jesus Christ, you can be assured that the difficulties you're facing are not useless or meaningless. Holiness: Roots or Fruits? There is a 'personal' holiness that can also make a difference in the world in the world around us. Holy, Holey, Wholly Just what does God mean when He says we "must be holy"? I believe Jesus Christ is the solution to every hurt, every question, every problem. But the facts of life often seem contrary to that. Our hurts often continue to plague us, our questions seem to go unanswered, our problems remain. Without a clear understanding of God's purpose, and how He works in world, this seeming contradiction may cause us feel as though God is displeased with us -- or we may lose our confidence and trust in God. The Hebrew people were looking for a Messiah who would solve all their problems, answer all their questions, and provide all their needs. They longed for His coming -- but Malachi asked a serious question: "When the Lord comes to his temple, who will be able endure it?" Malachi's question wasn't just for them -- it's for us. Can we endure the Lord's coming? Not at the end of time in final judgment, but now? Malachi gives the reason for his doubts: The Lord is like "a refiner's fire or a launderer's soap." A launderer in Malachi's day would take would take newly woven cloth and beat it, scrub it with strong alkaline soap, and bleach in the hot Canaanite sun. Jesus came not only to bring the forgiveness of sin, but to cleanse us of sin -- not always a pleasant experience. A refiner of metal would heat the metal as hot as it could possibly get without scorching it. Then he'd remove the impurities, and not be satisfied until he could see his reflection clearly in the molten metal. Jesus is a master refiner -- purifying but never scorching. The Lord's soap and the fire are about holiness. God intends for us to be holy. That's what Jesus "comes to His temple" to accomplish. Everybody has troubles. But if you are a follower of Jesus Christ, you can be assured that the difficulties you're facing are not useless or meaningless. Jesus is using every thing that happens to you to perfect your character and make you spiritually strong. That's not to say that God wants you to suffer and struggle. But He does want you to be mature and responsible. He wants you to be like Jesus. The message of the Cross is not victory because of easy circumstances, but victory in spite of the most difficult of circumstances. Hear the Good News: "We can do all things through Christ;" "He who is in us is greater than he who is in the world;" "God is causing all things to work together for our good;" "We are more than conquerors through Him who loved us." God's agenda is our holiness. Soap and fire are the means to that end. Along the the Apostle Paul, I am confident of this: "He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." Supporting texts: Romans 5:3-5 | James 1:2-4 | 1 Peter 1:10 | 2 Corinthians 6:16 | Isaiah 1:18 | 2 Corinthians 3:18 | Romans 8:28-29 | Philippians 1:6 A mp3 audio file of this sermon is here (32 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 tape of the sermon summarized above is available free of charge (U.S. requests only). Request a tape by calling or writing the Gateway Church office. Please specify tape number 061029a: Soap, Fire, and Holiness. © 2006 Gerald R. Varnado To the Gateway Church home page How to contact us