Sermons - Cornerstone Church of Ames

How do we faithfully love out the convictions of the kingdom while staying aligned in our theology and attitude to King Jesus? In a divided culture, we are called to show humble love in our local community.

What did it mean for the early church of Acts to be missional? And what does it mean for us to be missional in today’s world?

The early church endured great persecution. Hear about the timeless principles they learned and how they apply today.

Deep biblical community is essential to remaining connected to God. Coming out of a distanced year, what are the habits we need to reject and what are the habits we need to embrace for spiritual health?

Joshua needed courage to do what God called him to. He wasn't left alone, but equipped with the practice of studying the Bible and the promise that God is with us.

We look back on 2020 with both mourning over the difficult things and new gratitude from small moments of hope. Learn from Troy Nesbitt and Mark Vance about how to position yourself towards gratitude.

Celebrate the birth of Jesus with us this Christmas Eve through worship, teaching, and features from kids from Cornerstone.

We often read the story of David and Goliath with a call for us to be more brave for God. But the reality is that we more often fall short. Jesus came and was the greatest warrior for God, paving a way for us to be with Him.

Jesus is called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Price of Peace. The vast and all-encompassing names of Jesus tell us about His great character and our failed yet redeemed humanity.

Even when God says “no” or “not yet” to us, His timing and plans are perfect. We anticipate the high cost He paid for redemption during the season of Advent.

The cost of following Jesus was high for Saul, who had devoted his life to the persecution of Christians. But the truth of the gospel compelled him to share boldly, transforming his life and communities for the kingdom of God for generations to come.

What does it look like to have a genuine faith in Jesus and continue to grow in it? Learn from this story of Simon the magician from Acts.

No matter how spiritually rejected you may feel from others or your own sin, relationship with God is open for anyone who wants it. In Acts 8, the Holy Spirit through Philip moves a man one step closer to knowing his identity in God’s Kingdom.

Jesus and Stephen proclaimed God’s truth under risk of persecution, yet they chose to faithfully be bold.

The diversity of gifting that God gives us can lead to unity or division and prejudice. Jesus humbled and equalized all people with His sacrifice on the cross and His perfect righteousness far beyond ours.

When are we called to follow God’s authority and other authority, and how do we respond in the face of opposition? God is the ultimate protector of His Church. Our call today is deepening our relationship with Him so that we are rooted in discernment and knowledge of truth to lead our every step.

God’s concern with Ananias’s generosity is not the quantity of his gift but the quality of his heart. Examining our hearts reveals broken motives. But Jesus offers us a way to be identified with His righteousness rather than our own sinfulness.

An unshakable trust in a sovereign God kept the early church going through hard times. Our response to hard times is faith in God through prayer and boldness when sharing His good news.

There are so many things vying for your daily devotion. The early church of Acts calls for us to be devoted to God and to people, through fellowship, communion and prayer, so that we are filled with awe of God.

Words of life and hope and peace are found in Acts 2:22-41. Jesus’s defeat over death calls for rejoicing, repentance and response by baptism.

The Spirit of God is given to all people who are found in Jesus, fulfilling the prophecies of the Old Testament. His gifts and Spirit encourage and sustain us as we anticipate a time when King Jesus returns from Heaven in glory.

The pattern and presence of God’s Spirit in Acts calls churches to be united in prayer, submitted to Scripture and found under the power of God.

The book of Acts shares the story of the unlikely growth of the church. From where we are to the ends of the earth, God’s Kingdom is spread through the power of the Spirit and the preaching of the gospel.

Growing deeper into Christ means growing deeper roots and who He calls us to be.

Being in Christ means being united with His body and His people. So what does it look like for our church body to grow deeper together?

How do we engage in the spiritual battles that come our way? The “armor of God” in Ephesians 6 calls us to be rooted in truth and dependent prayer.

Ephesians 6:5-9 | Work and Authority - Mark Vance by Cornerstone Church of Ames

The call to honor your parents is for a lifetime. Hear how to humbly submit to your parents in each stage of life. Learn some practical principles for leading and encouraging your children.

Marriage is an amazing gift from God, but it can easily be warped into something far different than its original intent. A biblical marriage will be marked by deep love, humility and servanthood, and will ultimately show a watching world a clear picture of the Gospel.

In the midst of darkness, there is nothing more captivating than light. It doesn't happen overnight, but through the power of the Holy Spirit, we as believers can live as lights in a dark world.

"I'm not perfect, just forgiven." What's wrong with this statement? The Christian life does not begin and end with forgiveness. The Christian walk involves a progressive dying to sin and becoming more like Jesus.

God's plan for the world is the church, and God's plan for the church is you. Do you have a "sideline" mentality when it comes to church? Each member of the body of Christ is vital - each one of us needs to do our part.

Jesus has already won unity for His people through His work on the cross. But how do we maintain our unity in a divisive world? In Ephesians 4:1-6, we see a list of attributes that were perfectly demonstrated by Christ: humility, gentleness, patience and bearing with one another in love.

In Christ, the dividing wall of hostility has been removed - not only between man and God, but between one another. So why are there such deep divides in the church? In this passage, we see a bigger vision for the gospel, the church and the cost of unity.

In these verses, the Gospel is laid out clearly and simply. Salvation is a free gift of grace alone, given through Christ. Have you believed?

The theologian John Murray said, "Union with Christ is the central truth of the whole doctrine of salvation." What does it mean to be united to Christ? As we start our teaching series through the book of Ephesians, we explore what it means that every blessing given to Jesus now belongs to the people He has chosen.

Where do you look for hope and satisfaction? We can't expect something that's not God to do what only God can do. In this well-known story, God teaches the people of Israel the same lesson He has for us today - that only God can bring ultimate satisfaction.

Do you go through life leaning on your own understanding or God's? As we continue our study through our Bible reading, Troy Nesbitt walks through the book of Proverbs and gives a closing thought from 1 Kings 11-12.

The temple was built as a dwelling for God among humanity, but it wasn't the final fulfillment of His plan. In this teaching, Mark Vance traces the history of God's mission to dwell with his people.

How do you have joy in the midst of pain? As we close the book of Habakkuk, we see that hope in Jesus is the only hope that will never fail us.

In this prayer of Habakkuk, we see the prophet stand back and remember the power of God. In times of suffering, we can lose perspective, but when we look back on what God has done, we remember that He is in control.

In Habakkuk 2, God responds to the prophet’s complaint by listing 5 “woes” that could easily be applied to our world today.

How do you live by faith when you have big questions and no answers? In the book of Habakkuk, we see how God calls us to turn to Him in times of trouble.

Two disciples on the road to Emmaus experience the hope of the risen Savior. In this Easter sermon, Mark closes out our teaching series through the Gospel of Luke.

As Jesus bears the full penalty for our sins on the cross, we find hope that can carry us through even the darkest trials.

In these difficult times, we need to learn from Jesus' model of praying through suffering. In the garden of Gethsemane, Jesus shows us that we can trust God, even in the midst of pain.

Christ will come back and establish his kingdom, but how should believers live in the meantime? Luke Peterson, who will be planting a church in Columbus, Ohio, in 2021, gives us some general principles on how to think about the end to come.

The theme of humility is traced all through the Gospel of Luke. In this bonus mini-sermon, Alex Tuckness shows us how Jesus is the ultimate example of the humble servant.

How do you respond when you're tested? In the days leading up to Jesus' death, two of his disciples face tests, and their response reveals the importance of humility in the kingdom of God.

Romans 8 | God Our Foundation - Mark Vance by Cornerstone Church of Ames

How should Christians interact with governing authorities? In this message, Mark Vance gives four guiding principles from the New Testament.