Cornerstone Church

Jonah hears from God and immediately runs in the opposite direction. This scenario is not so different from one that we often find ourselves in: “What do I do when God’s direction conflicts with my desire?” As we study Jonah’s story, we learn the truth that running from God never removes you from God’s reach—it just changes the experience of the journey.

One of the first things you’ll notice in your Bible is that it has two Testaments—but what’s the difference in the two? What changed when Jesus came? Do Christians still follow Old Testament laws? Does the Old Testament matter anymore? We need to unpack covenant and fulfillment—and how Jesus doesn’t erase the story of Israel but brings it to completion.

We say we love God—but who exactly is God? Christians believe in one God who exists as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—a mystery that’s often confusing but incredibly powerful. Are they separate? Do they have different roles? And how does the Trinity play out in everyday faith? We all want to better love our God, and we do that by better understanding our God.

We say we love God—but who exactly is God? Christians believe in one God who exists as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—a mystery that’s often confusing but incredibly powerful. Are they separate? Do they have different roles? And how does the Trinity play out in everyday faith? We all want to better love our God, and we do that by better understanding our God.

It’s the issue we all need to deal with—sin. And yet? Few of us really understand what it is or what it does to us. Is sin just breaking rules or is it deeper than that? How does it shape our hearts? If I’m struggling—am I condemned? Few areas have more misunderstandings than sin. It’s time to see sin and its effects for what they are—and see the hope we have in Jesus.

It’s the book behind it all! So what is it that makes the Bible trustworthy? What does it really mean when we call it “God’s Word?” How do we read it responsibly without twisting it or taking it out of context? We’re diving into Scripture to see how it was formed, why it matters, and how to study it in a way that leads to transformation—not just information.

Cornerstone Church exists to help people find the Father, a family, and a fulfilling future. This sermon was preached at Cornerstone Church located in Akron, OH on June 6, 2026.

In a culture obsessed with control, influence, and being right, Jesus redefines what power actually looks like. Instead of lording authority over others, He calls His followers to a posture of humility and service. This message confronts our tendency to control people, win arguments, and assert dominance—and invites us into the upside-down Kingdom where true power is expressed through surrender, love, and servanthood.

Jesus’ words in Matthew 7 cut straight to the heart of our tendency to judge others while ignoring our own brokenness. Before we speak into someone else’s life, we are called to examine ourselves. This message challenges the culture of criticism and outrage by calling us to personal responsibility, humility, and discernment—learning when to speak, when to stay silent, and how to correct others with wisdom and grace only after dealing with our own “plank.”

In a culture fueled by outrage, offense has become a way of life—but not for followers of Jesus. At Cornerstone, we believe we can be deeply convicted without being easily offended. People may misunderstand us, disagree with us, or even mock us, and that’s OK. Jesus has shown the Church a better way marked by humility, patience, and resilient love.

We have a guiding mindset at Cornerstone: “Is Jesus at the center?” We believe Christ is the fullest revelation of God—which means our theology, worship, mission, and relationships all orbit around Him. Churches lose their way whenever Jesus is replaced with preferences, personalities, or agendas. But when Christ is central—everything else finds its proper place.

Church isn’t for people who have it all figured out—it’s for people who are still wrestling. At Cornerstone, we’re not afraid of doubt, failure, questions, or messy stories because Jesus never avoided broken people...He moved toward them. We believe honesty is safer than pretending and that nobody stands on the outside looking in when grace is at the center.

Social media has expanded the reach of comparison beyond anything previous generations could’ve ever imagined. We measure ourselves not just against our neighbors—but against an infinite feed of filtered success and curated joy. That kind of comparison pulls us towards inferiority or superiority—and neither reflects the identity we’re given in Christ.

We assume we’re informed—but most of us are only seeing half the story. Algorithms work to confirm our fears, preferences, and assumptions—while filtering out anything that might challenge us. We’re in parallel worlds where people live side-by-side but don’t understand each other. How can followers of Jesus live faithfully in a world that keeps pulling us apart?

Social media has erased the space between thought and speech. What used to be filtered through wisdom, prayer, and relationship now goes straight from the heart to the screen. Our darkest, most reactive thoughts no longer have to mature before being shared. With the press of a button, they’re public and permanent—doing more damage than we know.

If you were Jesus—what would you have done first thing on Easter morning all those years ago? Most likely your answer and my answer would both look a whole lot different than what Jesus decided to do. But it’s those first actions Jesus took after the Resurrection that tell us so much about the heart of God—and the implications affect all followers of Jesus today.

When people respond to God with open hearts? Jesus moves among them. So our role as His followers is to prepare the way for others so they can encounter Him for themselves. Every invitation and every gesture towards Jesus creates space for life-changing encounters—clearing the way to the Cross so people can encounter Jesus for themselves.

Following Jesus isn’t confined to a singular moment—it truly is a way of life. All interactions and each space we occupy can be a mission field. Our schools, our workplaces, our communities…they are the harvest fields. We must shake ourselves out of the mundane and live with intention—seeing every day as an opportunity to point others toward Jesus.

Here’s an all-important truth to remember—you don’t need all of the answers to impact someone else’s life. Our personal experiences and testimony? They carry immense power. When we courageously share how God moves in our lives, our experiences can illuminate the way for others, breaking through barriers that logic and words alone cannot reach.

Sharing the Gospel doesn’t require complex strategies—in fact? Sometimes it all begins with just two words: “Come & See!” There is incredible power in a personal invitation. We see that lives are changed when we step out and extend an authentic, simple call to encounter Jesus. It’s these small acts that open doors and lead to total transformation.

The relentless love and pursuit of our Heavenly Father is drawn to those who are apart from Him. That’s why evangelism begins with compassion, not guilt—and when our hearts align with His? We begin to see people as He does...worthy of pursuit, care, and hope. When we experience God’s love for the lost? It alters everything about how we see and reach others.

In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus felt the full weight of His calling—and He still said yes. Some moments in life come with an unmistakable heaviness, not because God has left us, but because He’s inviting us into something costly. Obedience isn’t easy, but it’s holy. And feeling the weight of the moment? It looks like embracing a cross before you see a crown.

Jesus wept over Jerusalem because the God they followed had arrived in their midst, but they didn’t recognize Him. It’s possible to be surrounded by the activity of God and still miss it. Spiritual blindness and distraction can keep us from noticing what God is doing right in front of us. Refuse to let busyness or unbelief rob you of the moments that matter most.

When God shows up, it’s never lightweight. His presence always carries significant weight—the glory that humbles, stills, and transforms us. To live aware of that glory means not treating God casually but responding with awe and reverence. Feeling the weight of the moment begins when His greatness replaces our indifference, and His presence puts everything in its place.

We live surrounded by divine moments—but many of us sleep through them. Jacob didn’t recognize God’s presence until after the encounter was over. Waking up spiritually means learning to see that God is already in our midst. The first step to feeling the weight of the moment is realizing that this moment—the moment you’re in right now—is holy ground.

The way you SEE determines the way you LIVE. Two people can face the same situation and see completely different possibilities. Perspective turns obstacles into opportunities and pressure into purpose. As we head into the new year, we must remember that we can’t always change our circumstances, but we can let God change how we see and face them.

Big changes don’t come from big moments. Big changes come from small, consistent steps. There is spiritual power in rhythms and repetition. What you do daily? It determines who you become permanently. Scripture calls it faithfulness. Modern language calls it discipline. Either way, habits are holy ground—it’s our habits that shape the life God is building in us.

You can’t do everything—but you can do the right things. It’s our priorities that either drive our growth or drain it. When everything matters, nothing does, and most of us are running hard in the wrong direction. Jesus said: “Seek first the kingdom” because order determines outcome. So if you want to make this year your year? It starts with putting first things first.

Everyone wants a better year, but few of us stop to define what “better” actually means. So what actually makes a year great? And not in our eyes—but in the eyes of the One who matters most—God’s eyes? Spoiler: it’s not comfort or ease. It’s alignment with Him. Before we set goals, we need to set direction. A great year starts when we let God write the story.

The birth of Jesus is the embodiment of God’s love—selfless, sacrificial, and unfailing. This love changes everything...calling us not only to receive it but also to reflect it in how we live. Jesus came into the night to show us that God’s love—when properly understood— compels us to go into the night ourselves...shining His light in a world desperate for love.

Because of Jesus’ arrival into our night, we can have joy—a true and deep satisfaction—that transcends pain, disappointment, and waiting. Joy from God doesn’t depend on our own situation...it flows from the unchanging goodness of God. We can know the joy Jesus brings when He steps into our situation...turning waiting into rejoicing and sorrow into worship.

Amid the chaos—God’s peace breaks through. That’s what happened over 2,000 years ago when Jesus came into the night…He brought peace to a restless world. A deep and lasting calm that comes from knowing we are held by God. And it’s that peace that comes only from King Jesus that can guard our hearts, calm our fears, and transform our relationships.

Hope is more than wishful thinking—it’s the ability to see past our darkest moments. And that’s exactly what Jesus enters into our night to bring us—hope. The confident expectation that God’s promises are actually true and that no matter how dark the night gets, His light will not be overcome. Advent is a season of waiting with hope, trusting that God is at work.

This is the moment. Not to play it safe or sit on the sidelines. It’s the moment to rise up and move forward in bold, audacious faith. God is calling Cornerstone to take ground—not for our name, but for His Kingdom. We’re stepping out, believing big, and claiming territory in our city. Our neighborhood belongs to King Jesus—and we’re here to make that fact known.

Vision without any kind of sacrifice is simply a dream. So the honest truth is that anything worthwhile—especially expanding the Kingdom of God—always costs something...our time, our comfort, our resources, our convenience. If we want to see victory in our spheres of influence—we’ve got to be willing to put skin in the game. How far will we be willing to go?

Before we can take ground? We have to see the ground. We want God to open our eyes—to see our city the way He sees our city. The brokenness, yes—but also the potential, the people, the purpose. Our vision shouldn’t just be about our future as a church—it should be about the future of our city. So the question is: “Are we ready to see how God sees?”

For many of us the phrase “The Lord works in mysterious ways...” has become a default explanation for everything from the confusing to the tragic. It’s what we’re told when we don’t get the job, when a friend passes away, or when a relationship ends. In those moments, we need help and clarity—but…our God only works in obscurity? But what if that wasn’t true? What if God isn’t trying to be mysterious? What if He actually wants His children to know His voice, sense His direction, and walk confidently in His will? While God may work...

Are ghosts real? What about demons? Do we live in a world filled with spiritual forces beyond what we can see? In this message, we’ll tackle the supernatural and explore how the Bible teaches us to understand and respond to the unseen world—without fear.

Hell is a topic most people avoid. Why? Well, it’s obvious—because it feels too harsh, it’s too mysterious, and it’s way too terrifying. But Jesus didn’t avoid the subject. In fact, Jesus regularly warned us about Hell with compassion. Scripture shows us that it’s vital to know what Hell is, why it matters, and how God’s justice and mercy intersect in powerful ways.

Death is the Great Unknown—the thing we avoid thinking about, but cannot escape. “What happens when we die? Is it really the end? What’s it feel like to pass away?” All good questions…and honestly? We don’t get a ton of clear, specific answers. So what can we truly know about death—and most importantly—how can we lose fear of the Great Unknown?