From Death to Life

Introduction

Have you ever watched someone get a second chance at life? Maybe you've seen the transformation of someone who beat addiction, escaped an abusive situation, or found purpose after years of wandering. These stories move us because they echo something deep in the human spirit—we all long for transformation.

This morning, we're going to explore one of the most dramatic before-and-after pictures in all of Scripture. In Ephesians 2:1-10, the Apostle Paul doesn't just describe improvement or self-help. He describes resurrection. He describes the impossible made possible. He describes what God has done, is doing, and will continue to do in the lives of those who trust Him. [Let's read together Ephesians 2:1-10.]

I. THE DIAGNOSIS: DEAD ON ARRIVAL (verses 1-3)

Paul begins with some devastating news: "And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked." Notice that word “dead.” You were not sick, not struggling, not having a bad day, you were dead.

You’ve never seen a dead man call 911. You’ve never seen a corpse reach out for help.

That’s Paul’s point: we weren’t drowning in sin—we were dead in it. We didn’t need a life coach—we needed a resurrection. We didn’t need a second chance—we needed a Savior who walks into tombs and calls out names. Thank God for Jesus!

Paul identifies three hallmarks of this death.

First, we were "Following the course of this world" living by the values, priorities, and definitions of success that surround us.

It's letting culture write your script instead of letting God write your story. It's measuring your worth by your net worth, finding your identity in your productivity, and believing that meaning comes from what you accumulate rather than who you become.

Secondly, we were Under Enemy Influence. "Following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience."

Paul reminds us there's a spiritual reality we can't see but that shapes what we do see. When we're spiritually dead, we're vulnerable to forces that promise freedom but deliver bondage, that promise fulfillment but deliver emptiness.

Thirdly, we were Slaves to Selfish Desire (v. 3) "Carrying out the desires of the body and the mind." This isn't about having normal human needs. It's about being controlled by them. It's living for immediate gratification, making decisions based solely on "What do I want right now?" rather than "What brings lasting good?"

And Paul includes himself: "Among whom we all once lived." This isn't about "those people over there." This is about every single one of us. We were all dead. We all walked according to these patterns. We all were, by nature, "children of wrath."

That's the diagnosis. And if the story ended here, it would be the saddest story ever told.

II. THE INTERVENTION: "BUT GOD" (verses 4-7)

But then come two of the most beautiful words in Scripture: "But God." Everything changes with these two words. Our deadness meets God's power. Our hopelessness meets God's intervention. Our end becomes God's beginning.

Why does God intervene? Is it because we finally got good enough? Because we cleaned ourselves up? Because we proved we were worth saving? No. Look at verse 4: "But God, being rich in mercy, because of his great love with which he loved us..."

God acts because of who God is. God's nature is love. God's character is mercy. The motivation for your salvation isn't found by looking at yourself, it's found by looking at God.

God doesn't simply resuscitate you, He recreates you. He doesn't improve your old life, He gives you an entirely new one.

And it doesn't stop there, friend you've been elevated from the grave. You've been given a new perspective, a new position, a new authority.

Do you understand what Paul is saying? Your story isn't just about what happened 2,000 years ago on a cross and in an empty tomb. Your story is about what's happening right now, God raising you, seating you, transforming you.

Why would God do all this? Verse 7 gives us the answer: "so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus."

You are His showcase of grace. Your transformed life is evidence to the universe, to angels, to demons, to future generations, of what God can do. Your life is a living demonstration of grace.

III. THE METHOD: GRACE ALONE (verses 8-9)

Now Paul makes certain we understand how this transformation happens. "For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast."

What is grace?

Grace is God giving us what we don't deserve and could never earn. It's the father running to embrace the prodigal son who wasted his inheritance. It's the employer paying full wages to workers who showed up at the last hour. It's Jesus on the cross saying "Father, forgive them."

Grace means that when you come to God, you don't come with your resume of good deeds. You don't come saying, "Look what I've done for you." You come empty-handed, saying, "I need what only You can give."

That’s why it’s so AMAZING!

Faith is the hand that receives what grace offers. It's not a work we perform to earn salvation; it's the simple act of accepting the gift God holds out. Faith is trusting that God means what He says. Faith is believing that Jesus really did pay it all. Faith is resting in God's promises instead of your performance.

Why does Paul hammer this point so hard? Because he knows how we're wired. We want to contribute. We want to earn. We want to be able to say, "I did it."

But Paul says no "so that no one may boast." Because if we could save ourselves, we'd look down on those who couldn't. If salvation were by work, the strong would prosper and the weak would perish. If it were up to us, pride would destroy us.

But grace levels the playing field. At the foot of the cross, the CEO and the addict are on equal ground. The moral person and the messy person are both equally in need of mercy. And that shared need creates humility instead of pride, compassion instead of judgment.

IV. THE PURPOSE: GOOD WORKS (verse 10)

But now, after spending two verses emphasizing that salvation is NOT by works, Paul brings works back into the picture. "For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them."

You are God's "workmanship"—the Greek word is poiema, from which we get our word "poem." You are God's work of art. You are His masterpiece. And every masterpiece has a purpose. You weren't saved just to go to heaven someday. You were saved to live differently today. You were created in Christ Jesus "for good works."

And here's the stunning part: "which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them." Before you were even saved, God was preparing opportunities for you to make a difference. He was lining up ways for you to show His love, extend His mercy, demonstrate His grace. Your transformation has a purpose beyond you—it's meant to overflow into the lives of others.

So what does this mean for us today? Maybe you're here this morning and you recognize yourself in verses 1-3. You feel spiritually dead. You've been going through the motions, following the world's script, controlled by desires that never satisfy.

The message of this passage is this: Your condition is not beyond God's reach. The same God who created the universe, who parted the Red Sea, who raised Jesus from the dead—that God specializes in bringing life from death.

You don't need to clean yourself up first. You don't need to get your act together. You don't need to prove you're worthy. You need to hear those two words: "But God." God can intervene in your life today. Right now. This moment. Will you let Him?

If you've experienced this transformation, if you've moved from death to life, this passage gives you several gifts:

1. The Gift of Gratitude Remember where you came from. Not to wallow in shame, but to fuel thanksgiving. You were dead. Now you're alive. You were lost. Now you're found. Never take that for granted.

2. The Gift of Humility You didn't save yourself. You can't look down on anyone because you know you're here by grace alone. That person struggling with addiction? You would be there too if not for grace. That person trapped in destructive patterns? That was you before God intervened.

3. The Gift of Purpose You're not alive just to enjoy the benefits of salvation. You're alive to walk in the good works God prepared for you. What might those be?

The conversation He wants you to have with your struggling coworker

The forgiveness He wants you to extend to that family member

The generosity He's calling you to show to someone in need

The service He's inviting you to offer in your community

God saved you for a reason. What is He calling you to do today?

Maybe you're exhausted from trying to be good enough. You're doing all the right things, checking all the boxes, but deep down you still feel like you're not measuring up. Here's what this passage says to you: Stop trying to earn what's already been given.

You don't have to prove yourself to God. You don't have to earn His love. You don't have to achieve His acceptance. It's already yours through Christ. By grace. Through faith. As a gift. Let go of the burden of self-salvation. Rest in the finished work of Christ. And then, from that place of rest and security, serve God not to earn His love but because you've already received it.

CONCLUSION

From death to life. That's the journey of every Christian. Not because we were good enough, but because God is merciful enough. Not because we earned it, but because He gave it. Not because we're impressive, but because His grace is immeasurable.

This morning, you have a choice. If you're spiritually dead, you can choose to stay in that condition, or you can respond to God's offer of life. If you're spiritually alive, you can live like you're still dead, going through the motions, trying to earn what you've already received, or you can embrace the new life God has given you and walk in the good works He's prepared.

The miracle of Ephesians 2 isn't just ancient history. It's present reality. It's what God wants to do in your life today. Will you let Him?

Let's pray.

Father, we stand amazed at Your grace. We were dead, and You made us alive. We were lost, and You found us. We were enemies, and You made us family.

For those here who are still spiritually dead, who are carrying the weight of their sin and shame, we pray that today would be the day of salvation. Open their eyes to see Your love. Open their hearts to receive Your grace.

For those who have experienced new life, refresh our gratitude. Renew our sense of purpose. Help us live out the transformation You've worked in us. Show us the good works You've prepared for us to walk in.

We can't save ourselves. We don't want to try. We simply receive, by faith, the gift You offer.