Introduction

Hello church and welcome. I am glad we are observing Ash Wednesday together. Today is the first day of Lent, a 40-day period of reflection, prayer, confession, and letting go. We join with believers all over the world during Lent.

Lent is a time for us to assess ourselves and make adjustments. It’s a time for us to recalibrate to God’s way of living and loving. The purpose of repentance and reflection is not to lay ourselves under condemnation, but to offer ourselves up for salvation. This is very important: “God did not send his Son to condemn the world but to save the world through him” (John 3:17). Did you hear that? Jesus did not come to condemn us but to save us. He wants to set us free. He did not come merely to set us free from the consequences of our sins (i.e., offer forgiveness only). He came to set us free from the power of sin. This means those powerful forces that grab hold of us, things like fear, anger, anxiety, lust, anger, greed, and selfishness, will lose their grip. God did not send Jesus into the world to condemn those of us who struggle with fear, anxiety, lust, or anger. God sent Jesus into the world to free us from fear, anxiety, lust, and anger. That kind of salvation is possible. That’s what God wants for you.

God did not send his Son to condemn the world but to save the world through him

Today, the first day of Lent, we’re going to swim into the deeper waters of the teachings of Jesus ... View this full sermon with PRO Premium