...We Are Dust!

Genesis 2:7
Then the LORD God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.

Psalm 90:3
You turn people back to dust, saying, “Return to dust, you mortals.”

Psalm 103:14
for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust.

Ephesians 2:1-13
1 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. 3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh[a] and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. 4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. 6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
11 Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called “uncircumcised” by those who call themselves “the circumcision” (which is done in the body by human hands)— 12 remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

John 8:6-11
But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. 7 When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” 8 Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.
9 At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. 10 Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”
11 “No one, sir,” she said.
“Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”



Questions...

How do we picture ourselves in light of what scripture says clearly?

How do I explain my reason for making decisions I have made in light of scripture?

Is God’s Grace limited?

Do we deserve life eternal apart from God’s Grace and Christ payment?

Did you or I do anything for that lavish Grace?

How can we tell the lost about the love of Christ, if we rejoice when someone, anyone, as far as we can tell, goes out into eternity, not accepting that Gospel message.

It seems to me that the Good News is only Good News if we are willing to share it with people that are neither nice to us…love us…like the things I like…think the way I think…and don’t scare me with threats to harm me or my family in some way.

While we dance in the streets and celebrate a lost man going to hell for eternity…how do we turn to the lost person beside us and influence them to follow a savior that we can’t follow ourselves?

God is Sovereign….not us!

God help us…

Wick Jackson 5/2/11