02 The Incomparable Christ - From Death to Life

The Incomparable Christ

Pt. 2: From Death to Life

By Louie Marsh, 1-18-2026

 

Top 10 Preaching Rules

 

10: Any illustration can be massaged to fit any sermon.

9: If a story is funny enough, it doesn't have to fit the sermon.

8: A sermon that is "too short" is rarer than Bigfoot at a photographer's convention.

7: The kid who screams and throws a fit every week will wait until the quietest, most focused and serious moment of your sermon to let 'er rip.

6: The member who always gripes that you don't preach enough on (pick one) baptism/faith/giving/witnessing will be out of town the week you preach your best sermon ever on baptism/faith/giving/witnessing.

5: The two things people will remember from your sermons are: 1) mistakes and 2) funny or tear jerking stories.

4: People who request a sermon on a particular issue will miss church the day you preach it.

3: You are never as convicting as you think you are.

2: A mist in the pulpit is a fog in the pews.

1: Making God’s Word boring or irrelevant is a sin.

 

TO BECOME SPIRITUALLY ALIVE…

 

1) I ACCEPT & ACT on my condition outside of Christ.

 

WE ARE SPIRITUALLY…

 

·  SEPARATED from God. 

 

“¹And you were dead in the trespasses and sins” (Ephesians 2:1, ESV)

 

o ACTIVE SINS = transgressions - knowingly crossing a boundary

o  PASSIVE = sins  - missing the mark

 

·  ENSLAVED

 

“²in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— ³among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind… (Ephesians 2:2–3a, ESV)

 

o To the WORLD

 

Kosmos – organized system of things, culture – not planet

 

o To the DEVIL

 

o To our OLD NATURE

 

“⁹The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it? ¹⁰“I the Lord search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds.”” (Jeremiah 17:9–10, ESV)

 

·  CONDEMNED

 

…and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.” (Ephesians 2:2–3, ESV)

 

WHY IS THIS SO IMPORTANT?

 

But he who has been forgiven little loves little." Luke 7:47b (NIV)

 

If the forgiveness is minimal, the gratitude is minimal. Luke 7:47b (MSG)

 

By refusing to admit or believe this – and by conveniently leave it out of our Gospel presentations we are doing ourselves, those we talk too, and God Himself a disservice.

1) It degrades the non-Christian’s real problem – they’re not just dysfunctional – they are spiritually dead, hopelessly enslaved and condemned!

2) It degrades our understanding of things too, and produces in us and many of our converts a lack of depth in understanding of our wonderful Savior and salvation.

3) It degrades Christ! We turn Him from the all mighty wonderful Savior of the NT into someone who comes along to help us, give us some band aids, and boost our self image!

 

2) I BELIEVE & RECEIVE what we can become by Grace.

 

·  Who? GOD

 

“⁴But God, being rich in mercy… (Ephesians 2:4a, ESV)

 

· What Did He Do? SAVED.

 

“⁴… because of the great love with which he loved us, ⁵even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— ⁶and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,” (Ephesians 2:4–6, ESV)

 

o MADE ALIVE

 

o RAISED UP

 

o SAT DOWN

 

o All of this IN CHRIST!

 

In September of 1908, Giants player Fred Merkle committed what author Noel Hynd calls "baseball's most famous lapse." Dave Anderson says it has "endured for nearly a century as baseball's most controversial moment in baseball's most controversial pennant race."

 

It happened in the ninth inning of a Giants versus Cubs game.  The Giants came to bat with a chance to win. There were only three weeks left in the season and a win against the Cubs would put the Giants back in first place. There were two out, with runners on third and Fred Merkle on first.

 

Al Bridwell stepped up to the plate and hit a line drive into right center. The runner on third crossed the plate with the winning run but Merkle, instead of touching second, turned and ran quickly back to the clubhouse to avoid the oncoming crowd. The game was over or so he and everyone else thought.

 

A Cubs player noticed that Merkle had not touched second, took a ball to second base and called it to the umpire's attention. Later that night, the umpire ruled that Merkle was out and the next morning the National League allowed the ruling, saying the game had ended in a 1-1 tie.

 

In the press, Fred Merkle was blasted.  Merkle retired after the 1926 season and he retreated to the seclusion of Florida. Fred Merkle spent his remaining days in Daytona Beach. He became ill and passed away on March 2nd, 1956. Some years earlier, he had given an interview. In the back of a tackle shop, he told the reporter, "I suppose when I die, they'll put on my tombstone, 'Here Lies Bonehead Merkle.'"

 

The world can be an unforgiving place.  Make a mistake and you may never hear the end of it.  Make a big enough mistake, and it can ruin your life and label you forever as a goof, a screw-up, or even a bonehead.

 

· Why Do This? To make an eternal example of his GRACE!

 

“⁷so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.” (Ephesians 2:7, ESV)

 

· HOW Did He Do This?

 

“⁸For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, ⁹not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” (Ephesians 2:8–9, ESV)

 

o By GRACE

 

A man dies and goes to heaven and of course, St. Peter meets him at the Pearly Gates.  St. Peter says, "Here's how it works.  You need 100 points to make it into heaven.  You tell me all the good things you've done, and I give you a certain number of points for each item, depending on how good it was.  When you reach 100 points, you get in.

 

"Okay," the man says, "I was married to the same woman for 50 years and never cheated on her, even in my heart."  "That's wonderful," says St. Peter, "that's worth three points!"  

 

"Three points?"  He says.  "Well, I attended church all my life and fully supported its ministry with my tithe and service."  Terrific!"  Says St. Peter.  "That's certainly worth a point."  

 

"One point!!!"  "I started a soup kitchen in my city and I worked in a shelter for homeless veterans."  "Fantastic, that's good for two more points," he says.  

 

"Two points!!!"  Exasperated, the man cries.  "At this rate the only way I'll get into heaven is by the grace of God."  

 

"Bingo Dude! 100 points!  Come on in!"

 

o  Thru FAITH

 

o A GIFT

 

o Results – all glory going to GOD!

 

3) I GRASP & GLORIFY Whose I am!

 

“¹⁰For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:10, ESV)

 

· We are GOD’S work.

 

· We are HIS MASTERPIECE

 

· BUT – only IN CHRIST!

 

· Made To FULFILL God’s plan for me.

 

“¹¹For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. ¹²Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. ¹³You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. ¹⁴I will be found by you, declares the Lord…  (Jeremiah 29:11–14a, ESV)