Pray for True Freedom in Christ

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Pray for True Freedom in Christ

Rev. Luke Powell

And so then the Afrikaans and English parts of our national anthem:

Uit die blou van onse hemel,
Uit die diepte van ons see,
Oor ons ewige gebergtes,
Waar die kranse antwoord gee

Sounds the call to come together.
And united we shall stand.

So, ringing out of the heavens and from the depths of the sea and from the everlasting mountains, with the echoing hills, sounds the call - the call to come together, unite and live and strive for freedom in South Africa, our land.

A Call to Unity in South Africa

There are powerful words and again, I hope that they are words that can inspire us today. The theme of being united and coming together is really what South Africa was supposed to be all about. Post-1994, the Rainbow Nation, the nation of all varieties of people coming together to be counted as one.

And in some ways, the country embodies this. Last week, with all the difficulties in our country, people of all different races, tribes came together and helped and started cleaning up. It was inspiring to see how we as a country can stand united when it matters most.

But sadly, that's not always the case in our country. There's still much racism in both directions, there's still a lot of tribalism and infighting.

And so let me ask you this: wherever you live, will you strive for freedom? Will you strive for togetherness and unity, not exalting your race or your culture above any other?

True Freedom in Christ

And let me remind you, as we close the week, what freedom really is. Jesus in John 8:31–32 said to some of the Jews, “If you hold to My teaching and you really are My disciples, then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

Then a few verses later, verse 36, He says, “If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”

True freedom, it turns out, is only possible through Jesus Christ. True freedom in this life is freedom from sin, freedom from its guilt and its power. And in Christ we find that when we are set free, we can then live lives of great love, of great compassion, and of great holiness and goodness with His help.

If we want to truly live and strive for freedom in our land, it starts, I believe, by humbling ourselves and coming to Christ, by giving ourselves to Jesus, surrendering to Him, being filled with His Holy Spirit, that instead of being slaves to our sins and our circumstances, we can be free, full of joy and peace.

And so will you come to Jesus today? Will you live and strive for freedom with His help? Will you surrender to Him and live in His freedom? And pray for your nation to be a place of freedom and love and peace?

I hope you will, friends. I hope you will, because the call is sounding out from every corner of this land for people who will do this.

Be one of those people.

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