Dying with Christ

·32 min·3 clips

Jesus says trying to hang onto your life will make you lose it, but giving it up for his sake will save it.

The episode is a sermon from Highland Christian Church titled 'Dying with Christ,' focusing on Colossians chapters 1-2. The speaker opens with a personal anecdote about believing Tupac Shakur faked his death, linking it to broader human speculation about figures like Elvis. He references the Association of Fraud Examiners, listing reasons people fake deaths, such as avoiding prison or debt, to illustrate a desire for freedom. The core message is that real spiritual death with Christ, unlike faked deaths, truly frees believers from sin and legalism. The speaker explains the historical context of the Colossian church, a young community tempted by false teachers advocating rule-keeping, circumcision, and ascetic practices. He uses analogies, like shadows pointing to substance, to show how Old Testament laws were mere pointers to Christ. The sermon critiques human attraction to lists and self-discipline, citing examples like monks insulting each other for humility, which fail to conquer sin. It references Donald Barnhouse's story about Satan cleaning up Philadelphia without Christ to warn against empty religiosity. The speaker emphasizes that the law reveals our need for a savior, not a path to righteousness, quoting Galatians on the law's purpose. He contrasts the Pharisee and tax collector parable, highlighting reliance on grace over works. The conclusion urges listeners to trust in Christ's sacrifice, using Galatians 2:20 to affirm living by faith.

As heard by us

A reflective Colossians episode on freedom in Christ, baptism, grief, guilt, and the daily cross.

This single-episode review follows a Colossians teaching that reads "died with Christ" as freedom from the powers and rules Paul says no longer define life in Christ.

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Why you'd press play

If guilt and self-reliance keep tightening their grip, press play on this meditation on what it means to have died with Christ.

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