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  ARE YOU FREE IN CHRIST？
  by Randy Krahn
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Summary: This sermon emphasizes the importance of unity in the spirit,
highlighting the need to seek freedom in Jesus rather than in worldly
systems. It addresses the concept of being 'the Lord's freed men' who
are free from sin and bondage, encouraging believers to look to Jesus
for true freedom. The message underscores the significance of
repentance, choosing the fear of the Lord, and walking in the light of
Christ to experience reconciliation and liberty.

Duration: 31:35 Topics: "Unity in the Spirit", "True Freedom in Christ"
Scripture References: Psalm 133:1, Galatians 5:1, Romans 8:18, Romans 8:31, Isaiah 59:2

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DESCRIPTION
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This sermon emphasizes the importance of unity in the spirit,
highlighting the need to seek freedom in Jesus rather than in worldly
systems. It addresses the concept of being 'the Lord's freed men' who
are free from sin and bondage, encouraging believers to look to Jesus
for true freedom. The message underscores the significance of
repentance, choosing the fear of the Lord, and walking in the light of
Christ to experience reconciliation and liberty.

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CONTENT
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There's a verse that comes to mind that says how good and how pleasant
it is when brothers can dwell together in unity. It's like the precious
oil that comes on the head and flows down to the beard, even Aaron's
beard, and to the cloak then falls to the ground. The interesting point
of that is that it never touches flesh.

If we want unity, it has to be in the spirit. A lot of things going on
out there is unity, but it's in the flesh. People call it love.

They call it camaraderie. They call it coming together, but it's not in
the spirit. Because where the spirit of the Lord is, there's liberty,
there's freedom.

And as much as flesh would like to have freedom, we need freedom in the
spirit. You know, there's crazy times that we're living in and people
are rising up because the flesh is hostile against oppression. And we
need to understand that in the end times, these things are going to get
worse, not better.

And if our hope is in that the government is going to give us freedom,
then we are, of God's people, most pitiable. Because freedom only comes
from Jesus Christ. Scripture says, stand fast in the liberty by which
Christ has made us free.

And don't allow yourself to be entangled again in a yoke of bondage. The
Lord's freed man is one who is free from sin. The one who's been born
again.

The one who's died and whose life is hidden with Christ in God. It says
we should not become entangled in bondage to fear, nor should we become
entangled in bondage to rules and regulations, in legalism, in religion,
but freedom is in Jesus. And so we want to encourage our people to
continue to look to Jesus.

Because that's where our help comes from. We begin to realize where our
hope lies when our natural freedoms are taken away. I think of the
Apostle Paul, some of the brothers who were in prison, and they were
singing hymns while they had chains.

And they were the Lord's freed men. They were free on the inside with
chains on the outside. And so as much as we don't want to come into
bondage to government systems, and oppression, and communism, and world
domination and control, we want to make sure that we're the Lord's freed
men on the inside.

Because when the sun sets free, it's free indeed. And the question I
have for you this morning is, are you free in Christ? Or are you still
in bondage to something? You know, I think back in my past, and I think
of being in bondage to alcohol, being in bondage to covetousness, being
in bondage to anger, being in bondage to bitterness. We can be in
bondage to anything that overcomes us, where we're powerless to control
it.

But Jesus said, come to me to be free. And we can tell ourselves that
we're free, and we've never been in bondage to anything. But we can
never truly be free unless we're honest about where we're at
spiritually.

And Jesus has a desire that we would be free in Christ. So I want to
encourage everyone to look to him and be radiant, so our faces won't be
ashamed when we're found in him, not having our own righteousness by the
works of the law, or our own idea of what righteousness looks like, but
a righteousness that comes from the Holy Spirit indwelling us. A life of
freedom, of living in Jesus.

I want to read something from Romans in chapter 8. In verse 18, it says,
For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy
to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the
earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of
the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not
willingly, but because of him who subjected it in hope.

Because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of
corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know
that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs even until
now. And not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Holy
Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for
the adoption, the redemption of our body.

For we were saved in this hope. But hope that is seen is not hope. For
why does one still hope for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do
not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance.

And likewise, the Holy Spirit also helps us in our weaknesses. We do not
know what we should pray as, for we ought, but the Holy Spirit himself
makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered with
words. Now he who searches the heart knows what the mind of the Spirit
is, because he makes intercession for the saints according to the will
of God.

So we know that the present sufferings that we're experiencing because
of the oppression that's come upon the whole world is not worthy to be
compared with the glory that's going to be revealed in us if we cling to
Jesus. And sometimes we don't know what's happening, though outwardly
we're perishing. The Scripture says inwardly we can be renewed day by
day.

And we who have been born again and have received the Holy Spirit, we
groan within ourselves, longing to be further clothed with the
righteousness that's in Jesus. Not that we would be unclothed in 2
Corinthians 5, but in this tent we groan, longing to be further clothed
with Christ. We want to be liberated from the bondage of this body.

We want to see the salvation of God manifested, not just in our spirits,
but in our souls and our whole being. We want to see Jesus glorified in
this church. We want to see his people rise up in victory without fear.

And the last enemy to be defeated is death. Oh death, where is your
sting? Oh grave, where is your victory? The strength of sin is the law.
We're not under law, we're under grace.

And so we want to walk in that liberty by which Christ has made us free.
Stand fast in that freedom in Jesus' name. And when we don't know where
to turn and we get perplexed, but we're not in despair, we get struck
down, but we're not destroyed.

It says always caring about in this body the dying of the Lord Jesus
Christ. We're always bearing his cross. We're dying to things that we're
held by, that the life of Jesus might be manifested where? In our mortal
flesh.

And so when we don't know what's going on and we don't know how we ought
to pray, inwardly we groan, the spirit within us cries out, Abba Father,
how long, oh Lord, how long? Until you seek justice for us from our
adversaries. You deliver us from this carnal flesh and the weakness and
the frailty of our sinful state and cause us to be conformed into the
glorious image of Jesus. The scripture says if we want to desire to come
after him, we're called to walk just as Jesus walked.

And Jesus in the days of his flesh, it says when he was tempted, as a
man as we are yet without sin, cried out to his father. He cried out
Abba to his father with loud cries and tears to him who could save him
from death. And he was heard because of his godly fear.

We need to have a godly fear of the Lord. That is what's going to get us
through in this hour. It says of Jesus Christ that his delight is in the
fear of the Lord.

And that's why he was heard by his father because of his godly fear. We
need to choose the fear of the Lord. When we have decisions to make, we
have to understand that what the will of the Lord is for our life.

And we make good choices. There's a lot of choices to make in a day. We
want to make choices that are from the spirit because it's the spirit
that's going to bring life to us.

We make choices from the flesh, then we're going to reap destruction.
The wages of sin is death. But the gift of God is eternal life through
Jesus Christ our Lord.

So how many of us are going to choose the fear of the Lord? It says that
in Adam all died. Why did they die in Adam? God created Adam in the
image of God. He breathed in him and he became a living being.

And he gave Adam a helpmate. And Adam called her Eve, the mother of all
living. Adam was formed of dust, made from the dust.

And God breathed in him. And he became alive. And he gave him a place
where there was paradise to dwell.

And he gave him of all the trees in the garden to tend. And of all the
animals to tend. And of everything it was good and it was beautiful.

And gave him one law. He gave him one choice to fear God. It was so easy
for Adam to choose to follow after God.

It was there was only one requirement. Not to eat of the tree in the
midst of the garden that he put right in the middle of the paradise of
God. And the serpent got to deceive the woman Eve.

And he come to her and he deceived her by twisting the word of God. We
need the word of God in this hour. So that we understand what truth is.

Having our ways girded with truth. There's a lot of voices out there.
And we can get confused listening to the voices.

We can be deceived listening to the voices. Eve was deceived by
listening to the voice of the serpent. The serpent spoke to Eve and he
said to Eve.

Did God say that you can't eat from any of the trees in the garden?
Getting the focus the fact that God does not want anything good for you
at all. God doesn't love you. He doesn't care about you.

He's not interested in you. He just wants to make your life miserable.
Eve says no no no God says we can eat of all the trees in the garden.

We just can't eat of this one tree. Oh why did God say you can't eat of
that tree? Because he knows the day that you eat of that tree. You're
going to know both good and evil.

You're going to be like God. And when Eve got her focus off of God. She
got her focus on what the serpent was saying.

And she got her eyes on the tree that she was not to eat or to touch.
According to the word that she spoke. She saw that the tree was good for
food.

It's the lust of the eyes. She was able to see that it was able to make
one wise. It's the boastful pride of life.

And she came to that point where she took of the fruit and she ate. And
she went and gave to her husband and he ate. And at the moment that they
ate they knew that they were naked.

They knew that they had sinned. And the first thing that they did is
they hid from God. The very one who created them.

The very one who gave them life. Now they were at enmity against.
Because they did not choose the fear of the Lord.

The woman became deceived and Adam never chose the fear of the Lord. He
chose to listen to the voice of his wife. The scripture says Adam why
did you eat from the tree? This woman whom you gave me.

Gave me of the fruit and I ate. He said why did you listen to the voice
of your wife? He did not listen to what God said. He listened to what
others said.

And many times we can become deceived by listening to people close to
us. Who are not speaking from the Holy Spirit. But they're speaking from
the flesh.

And we have to have a fear of God. And be able to discern truth in the
hour in which we live. Because the truth is we're going to make us free.

If we listen to lies we're going to come into bondage. And we're going
to come into fear. We're going to panic.

We're going to make rash decisions. And we're going to find ourselves
sinning. And that's what separates us from God.

Sin separates us from God. Let's read in this passage here in Romans in
chapter 8. We'll go skip a little bit further into verse 31. And it says
what shall we say of these things which we have read? If God is for us
who can be against us? He who did not spare his own son but delivered
Jesus up for us all.

How shall Jesus not with us defies? Who is he who condemns? You know
that Adam was condemned in that garden. When he knew he was naked he
felt the condemnation. The condemnation of sin and death was on him.

Because God had said the day you eat of it you will surely die. But what
did the serpent say? You surely shall not die. He lied to Eve.

And Adam believed the lie himself. We need to take the more earnest heed
to the things that we have heard lest we drift away. Because it's very
important what God says.

The word of God is very important. It's sharp as a two-edged sword and
it can pierce us. And we need to take heed to the things that we've
heard.

Because God's word in it is life. In it is healing and restoration for
our families and for our nation. And we need a voice of preachers to
rise up and to speak the truth in love so that it might impart grace
into the hearers.

And here we see that nothing can separate us from the love of God which
is in Christ Jesus. But yet we see in the case of sin in the garden. Sin
separated Adam and Eve from God.

Who is he who condemns? The one who rebels against what God's word says
receives the condemnation. First we get conviction and we have an
opportunity to repent if we're born again and we have the precious blood
of Jesus now. But if we continue to walk in darkness, we lie and we hide
from God.

We don't practice the truth. Conviction can become condemnation. This is
the falling away from the faith that it says in 1 Timothy 4. That in
latter times some will depart from the faith giving heed to deceiving
spirits and doctrines of devils.

And we don't want to believe lies. If Adam took earnest heed and chose
the fear of the Lord he would have chose not to take the fruit from his
wife. He should have trusted God.

But instead he said, well, I can't live without this woman perhaps. I
have to take from this fruit because God can't kill both of us. Who
shall bring a charge against God's elect? Well, God said, Adam, where
are you? And he said, I heard your voice and I was afraid.

We don't want to be afraid when we hear the word of God. We want to have
confidence. We want to have assurance.

We want to have hope. But if we're not walking in the light as Jesus is
in the light then we will hide from the word of God. We don't want the
preachers of the word of God to tell us that we're sinful and we need to
repent.

But this is the only way which we can be reconciled back to God. We need
to repent of our sin and turn to Jesus Christ. Jesus is the only way for
a fallen world to be reconciled back to God.

He is God's lamb. He is the bridge. You know, we've heard a lot about
the ambassador bridge this last week and how the bridge was cut off and
how this was an absolute necessity to open up this bridge because
commerce was affecting both nations.

I'm going to tell you there's a bridge greater than the ambassador
bridge. It's Jesus Christ. That bridge has been broken because of sin
but Jesus went and paid the penalty and he suffered a criminal's death
so that we could be reconciled back to God through the shed blood of
Jesus Christ.

This is the bridge that needs to be opened up in your life and when you
call on the name of Jesus in sincerity with all your heart you will find
that connection and a reconciliation back to God and you will feel the
condemnation leave your life. You don't need preachers telling you
there's no condemnation for those who are in Christ if you have secret
sin and unconfessed sin in your life. You need to come to the light that
your deeds be exposed that you humble yourself under the heavy hand of
God that he can lift you up.

Jesus is the bridge to God. The shed blood of Jesus Christ is the
forgiveness of sins. Without the shedding of blood there's no
forgiveness of sins.

Who is he who condemns? It's Christ who died. He paid the penalty for
sin and furthermore has risen and seated at the right hand of the power
and he Jesus makes intercession for us and that is why the Holy Spirit
within us when we don't know how to pray makes intercession for us and I
ask you this question do you have the first fruits of the Holy Spirit in
your life? Because if you have never groaned if you have never groaned
in desperation in seeking to get a hold of Jesus to lay hold of God then
you don't understand the way of the Spirit because the Spirit within us
groans. This is not tongues.

This is different than the gift of tongues. It is a heart cry that comes
from within when words cannot express your desperation for an answer
from God. Have you ever been in a place in your life where you don't
know where to turn to the left or to the right and you come to God and
you cry out and inwardly you groan.

A heart cry to God. It's like incense going before the throne of God.
This is the way of the Spirit.

This is the way of life. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?
Shall tribulation? If we go through hard times and they come and they
take away our liberties and our freedoms and we can't go to restaurants.
We're not allowed to go to our children's events.

We're not allowed to participate in church activity and different
things. Who's going to separate us from the love of God which is in
Christ? Can anyone separate you from the love of God which is in Christ?
If you're in right relationship with Jesus whom shall we fear? Shall
tribulation? Shall distress in which we live? Or persecution of the
Christians which is coming upon the whole world? Or famine? Or
nakedness? Or peril? Or sort? For as it is written verse 36 of Romans 8.
For all for your name's sake we are killed all day long and we are
counted as sheep for the slaughter. Yet in all these things we who are
in Christ are more than conquerors through Christ who loves us.

And I am persuaded Paul says in verse 38 that neither death nor life nor
angels nor principalities nor powers nor things present nor things to
come nor height nor depth nor any other created thing by man is able to
separate us from the love of God from this intercessory connection in
prayer which we have through the shed blood of Jesus Christ and the
indwelling presence of his spirit which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. No
created thing. And for that I am grateful.

And for that Jesus has given us something that the world does not
possess. Hope, peace and joy in righteousness in Jesus name. This is
what we have that the world cannot receive.

Because it neither sees him nor knows him but we know him because he
dwells in us. Now what separated Adam and Eve from the love of God?
Unbelief separated them because they didn't believe. And the result of
their unbelief was sin.

It says that sin separates us from God. Isaiah 59. Is the Lord's arm too
short that he can't reach down and save anyone who calls on his name?
No.

Is his ear too heavy that he can't hear people who are crying out for
him to help them? No. But the problem is that sin has separated them
from God so that he can't hear them until they humble themselves and
pray and seek his face and turn from their evil ways and cry out for
help from Jesus. It says he will hear from heaven.

He will pardon their iniquity. He will forgive their sins and he will
heal their land. He'll give them a new heart and a new spirit.

He says that he'll take our heart of stone, our rebellious proud hearts,
and he'll remove them and give us a heart of flesh, one that feels, that
has compassion, that understands mercy, that understands the love of
God. And we want to extend this love and compassion to hurting people,
especially in this hour where we see that people are without hope. And
now they're setting their hope in something that is passing away.

But the hope of the nations is Jesus Christ. We sing that song, Jesus,
hope of the nations. And we want to extend an olive branch of hope to
people who have no hope.

Let your hands and your feet and your mouth and your life be an
expression of Jesus Christ to whoever meets you. Have a smile on your
face. Let the joy of the Lord be your strength.

Rise up with wings as eagles. Run and not grow weary. Continue to walk
with the Lord and don't faint.

Continue to persevere and press on because Jesus is risen. He's alive
and he is seated at the right hand of the power. And he dwells us in the
high and the lofty place and with him and her who is humble and who is
contrite, who is meek and who trembles at the word of God.

We need to choose the fear of the Lord and to love the word of God.
Children, little children, hide the word of God in your heart so that
you won't sin against God. How shall a young man keep his way pure? By
taking heed according to God's word.

Jesus' word is a lamp unto our feet and it's a light unto our path.
Let's walk as children of light, no longer in darkness, in the works of
darkness, in the works of the flesh, but put off the old man with his
lusts and put on the Lord Jesus Christ. Let's be clothed with humility.

Let's be clothed with meekness. And tender heartedness. Put on the Lord
Jesus Christ and let's love one another.

For love is of God and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.
The one who doesn't love doesn't know God. There's different types of
love out there.

There's a love that comes from camaraderie, but we need a love that
comes from knowing Jesus. Jesus is the love of God manifested in the
flesh. And we now are his hands and his feet.

Let the love of God flow through you. Be an expression of kindness to
hurting people. Extend your hand to the hurting.

Extend your heart to the needy. Be a blessing. Be a blessing in Jesus'
name.

Let's pray. Lord, we're thankful for the opportunity to be together
again, Lord, as we're overcoming sickness in this little fellowship. We
thank you that you've kept us and you've preserved us.

And you've given us such a great hope in Jesus. I pray, Father, that
inwardly you would cause us, Lord, to be sustained by your power. That
you would fill us with your spirit.

That you would empower us to live according to your word. Lord, that you
would comfort us with a comfort. For the afflictions that are coming
upon the whole earth.

Lord, that we would not be in fear. Lord, that you would strengthen us
with all power in the inner man. That we would be able to walk worthy of
the calling with which we've been called as ambassadors of Jesus Christ.

And we thank you for the mystery of the gospel, which is Christ in you,
the hope of glory. I pray, Father, that everyone who's not born again,
who's listening to this word, would cry out to you from the bottom of
their heart. That you would hear them and that you would visit them in
their time of crisis, in their time of need.

And we thank you that you always hear us when we pray, in Jesus' name.
Amen.

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Video: https://sermonindex2.b-cdn.net/Xv1QoLi_Fi4.mp4
Source: https://sermonindex.net/speakers/randy-krahn/are-you-free-in-christ/
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