Sermon
Easter Sunday
Cornerstone Church of Ames
Speaker: Mark Vance
April 5, 2026 · 18 min
Summary
Jesus teaches through the parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15) that God the Father's heart welcomes home both the rebellious younger son and the self-righteous older son. True restoration comes not through personal merit or shame, but through faith in Jesus, the true elder brother who paid the ultimate price to seek and save the lost.
Highlights
You can be physically close to God and spiritually far from his heart. You can attend church your whole life and never have a heart that's broken by grace, flooded with the love of the Father.
For the joy that's set before me, I'll spend not the money in my pocket, but the blood in my veins.
There's more than one way to be lost. You can be lost like the younger brother, a rebel far from God, or lost like the older brother, physically close to God but spiritually far from his heart.