"The Crimson Covenant"

September 28, 2025

FBC Baxley

am service

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Vision Statement: FBC Exists to Live & Share the Love of Jesus Christ, through worship, fellowship, discipleship, ministry & Evangelism.

** I want you to know, GOD LOVES YOU!

*It’s ok however you’ve entered, we are all here seeking God’s will, way and plan.

Some rescued, redeemed, Some Saved….Some Not..

All Loved…

*Acts 4:12 (repeat)

*John 3:16

“The Crimson Covenant” – Grace Greater than Sin

Text: Ephesians 2:1–10

1 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins

2 in 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—

3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the flesh and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.

4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us,

5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—

6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,

7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,

9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

-Pray

Main Idea: The crimson letters of grace reveal God’s mercy in making dead sinners alive in Christ.

Introduction:

In 1812, missionary Adoniram Judson was thrown into a Burmese prison. (40 years in burma...translated bible into burmese)

Shackled, starved, and suspended by his thumbs, he endured unimaginable cruelty.

A fellow prisoner whispered, “Judson, what do you think now of the future of missions?”

Judson, emaciated and weak, whispered back: “The prospects are as bright as the promises of God.”

*How could he speak hope in the shadow of death?

Because he knew what Paul declares in Ephesians 2: the gospel is not about bad people getting better but about dead people being made alive.

Today, we investigate the crimson covenant—God’s grace that is greater than all our sin.

Paul gives us three truths about this covenant: The Ruin of Sin, The Riches of Salvation, and The Remaking of the Saint.

I. The Ruin of Sin (vv. 1–3) – Dead in Sin

Paul begins with devastating honesty:

Dead in trespasses and sins (v.1).

“1 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins “

The Greek word nekros (νεκρός) means lifeless, utterly powerless.

Sin is not weakness—it is death.

Driven by the world and Satan (v.2).

“2 in 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— “

We followed “the course of this world” and “the prince of the power of the air.”

Without Christ, our allegiance was enslaved to Satan.

Destined for wrath (v.3).

3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the flesh and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.

-By nature, we were “children of wrath.”

That’s not just what we did—it’s who we were.

Illustration:

Imagine a corpse lying in a coffin.

No medicine, pleading, or music can revive it.

That is humanity without Christ: totally powerless to save itself.

—Think of a flatlined heart in the ER.

No medicine can revive it—only a shock from the defibrillator. That is your soul without Christ.

Think about it:

“Sin doesn’t just wound; it kills.

Apart from Christ, you are a corpse walking in the daylight.”

“No self-help book, no therapy, no good intention can revive the spiritually dead.”

Application:

See sin as God sees it—not a mere flaw or weakness, but death itself.

Only when we grasp the ruin of sin will we fully marvel at the riches of salvation.

II. The Riches of Salvation (vv. 4–7) – Alive in Christ

After three verses of despair, Paul introduces two glorious words: “But God…”

Rich in mercy (v.4).

“4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, “

Eleos—God does not give us what we deserve.

Great in love (v.4).

Agapē—His steadfast, covenantal love.

Made alive with Christ (v.5).

The Greek sunezoopoiesen (συνεζωοποίησεν) means “made alive together.”

God resurrects dead sinners with Christ.

Illustration:

Think of a drowning person pulled from the water, limp and breathless. The lifeguard doesn’t ask the person to swim—he breathes life into them. That is God’s grace.

“But God is richer than your sin and stronger than your death.”

“Grace isn’t a little nudge—it’s a shock of life into a heart that was cold and still.”

“Your rescue didn’t come because you climbed; it came because God stepped down.”

Commentary Insight

John MacArthur: “The believer’s new life is not a moral improvement but a spiritual resurrection. Salvation is not making bad people good; it is making dead people alive.”

Application

Never forget your “But God” story.

You didn’t climb out of sin on your own.

Grace reached down, pulled you from death, and brought you into life.

III. The Remaking of the Saint (vv. 8–10) – God’s Workmanship

Paul moves from how God saves to why He saves:

“8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, “

Grace is the source (v.8).

Charis—unearned favor.

Faith is the means (v.8).

Faith is the empty hand receiving God’s gift.

Works are the result (v.10).

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

Poiēma—you are God’s masterpiece, His restored artwork.

Illustration

Imagine a rusted classic car, judged worthless by most.

In the hands of a master restorer, it is rebuilt piece by piece until it shines like new.

That is what grace does: transforms a ruined soul into God’s masterpiece.

“You are not a mistake waiting to be fixed; you are God’s masterpiece waiting to be displayed.”

“Grace doesn’t just pardon. Grace transforms. It restores, it remakes, it repurposes.”

“You were saved not by works—but for works. Now the world should see God in you.”

Commentary Insight

F. F. Bruce: “The Christian’s new life is God’s creation, and therefore cannot be man’s achievement. Yet it is designed for a life of good works.”

Application

We are not saved by works but for works.

Grace pardons, yes, but it also transforms.

Your life should display God’s artistry to the world.

Conclusion – Three Life Applications

Confront sin honestly. Sin is death. Only Christ brings resurrection.

Cling to God’s mercy daily. Remember the “But God” moments in your life. Grace reached you when you were helpless.

Commit to living as God’s masterpiece. Let the world see God’s workmanship through your good works.

Closing Story:

Adoniram Judson, wasting away in a Burmese prison, clung to hope because he knew grace is greater than sin, despair, and even death.

That same grace is yours today.

The crimson covenant assures us: once dead, now alive; once ruined, now restored; once condemned, now God’s masterpiece.

Truly, grace is greater than all our sin.

-Pray

-Invitation