Higher Life Through a Crucified Christ

What does it truly mean to live a 'higher life' in Christ? This powerful message takes us deep into the heart of what happens when we embrace the crucified Christ and allow Him to be formed within us. Drawing from Colossians 3:1-2, we're challenged to set our hearts and minds on things above—not through our own efforts, but through the transformative power of Christ's death and resurrection. The sermon unpacks the profound reality that when we were baptized, we weren't just participating in a ritual; we were actually baptized into Christ's death (Romans 6:3-4). This means our old self—the one enslaved to sin—was crucified with Him. But here's the beautiful truth: we were also raised with Him to walk in newness of life. The message confronts a critical mistake many of us make: trying to achieve holiness through our own strength and efforts. Galatians 2:20 reminds us that 'it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me.' This isn't about what we do for Christ, but about what Christ did for us. When we truly grasp this, we stop striving in our flesh and start living by faith in the Son of God who loved us and gave Himself for us. The call is clear: allow Christ to not just live in us, but to live through us, until He is completely and permanently formed in us. This is the higher life—a spiritual existence where we walk in the same power that raised Jesus from the dead.