When Pastor Ron was five years old, he climbed into his father's toolbox, the lid latched shut, and he spent nearly three hours pounding against wooden walls with nails sticking inward — bloody, terrified, convinced he was going to die. That's the image Paul reaches for in Ephesians 2. Before Christ, we weren't sick. We were locked in a coffin, and the key had been thrown away.

In this message from our series "Fullness," Pastor Ron opens Ephesians 2:1–10 and walks through our past desperate condition, the divine power that raised us, and the determined end God has planned for every believer.

Our Desperate Condition — Dead in Sin: Before Christ, we had no spiritual pulse — dead in trespasses and sins, enslaved by the world's system, the influence of Satan, and the desires of our own flesh. Not sick. Dead. And dead people can't better their own condition.

But God — The Divine Power: Two of the greatest words in all of Scripture. God, rich in mercy and great in love, reached into our death and made us alive together with Christ. Not because we were worth it, but because he is love — and it was nails that held Jesus to the cross, it was love.

Seated in Heavenly Places — Our Present Position: God has not only raised us from the dead, he's seated us in heavenly places in Christ. Our eternal destination is already secured. We're citizens of heaven living as ambassadors on earth.

Grace Alone, Faith Alone — Our Determined Future: Saved by grace through faith, not of works — and because of that, we can't be lost by our bad works either. God's grace is settled, not seasonal. And the very faith that saved us was itself a gift.

His Workmanship — Created for Good Works: The word workmanship is poema — the Greek word for poem, a work of art. We aren't saved by good works, but we were created for them. God has prepared specific works beforehand for each of us to walk in.