Series
Rev. Jerry Hamstra
The Book of Esther
The Book of Esther
Sermons
Rev. Jerry Hamstra
Introduction to Acts
Introduction to Acts

Ahab, Elijah and Prayer

Read: 1 Kings 18:1-2, 41-46
Text: Verses 41-46

“And this short single verse description of Elijah running before Ahab illustrates a hope for change that will soon be disappointed. What this story illustrates is the need for God to act in a new way if there is there is ever going to be lasting change. The story as a whole illustrates that sin leads to famine and death and the fact that it will take more than even something as spectacular as fire from heaven to make a lasting difference.”
— Rev. Jerry Hamstra

Jesus, a Pharisee and a Sinful Woman

Read: Luke 7:36-50

“We need to examine ourselves. This passage is teaching us that not everyone who is religious is saved. There are ways of being very meticulous about law-keeping while being strangers to Jesus and his mercy. One sign of this is feeling contempt for great sinners. Another sign is a coldness towards Jesus – a lack of love and heartfelt gratitude to him for his mercy towards great sinners.”
— Rev. Jerry Hamstra

Fire from Heaven

Read: 1 Kings 18:1-2, 22-24, 30-40
Text: Verses 38-40

“What we have here is an expression of God’s grace to his people. The fire that came from heaven fell upon the altar and consumed the burnt offering, the wood and the altar itself. And it did not consume the people.”
— Rev. Jerry Hamstra

Jesus: God’s Gentle Servant

Read: Matthew 12:9-21
Text: Verses 15-21

“Notice that our text speaks of salvation in terms of justice. The salvation that Jesus came to bring involves justice. And justice means that our sins cannot just be overlooked and ignored. If anyone’s sin was just overlooked and ignored, there could never be a world of justice and peace and harmony. And what that means is that for Jesus to not break a bruised reed or not quench a smoldering wick, he himself had to absorb the just penalty for sin. For Jesus to be gentle and nurturing to us in our weakness and sinfulness, he had to pay the penalty for our sins. That is the meaning of the cross.”
— Rev. Jerry Hamstra

Elijah’s Prayer

Read: 1 Kings 18:1-2, 22-24, 30-37
Text: Verses 32b-37

“The truth of God and about God is revealed with more and more clarity as the story of the Bible progresses. And so it is with this truth of the great significance of the knowledge of God. And as with every other theme in Scripture Jesus Christ is the climax in one way or another.”
— Rev. Jerry Hamstra

Jesus and the Centurion

Read: Luke 7:1-10

“The main purpose of each of the gospels is to reveal Jesus to us and to call us to respond to him in faith and obedience. And since, loving, worshiping and trusting in Jesus is such a central part of what it means to be a Christian, it is always helpful for us to turn to the gospels and reflect on some aspect of what they have to teach us about Jesus, our Saviour and our Lord.”
— Rev. Jerry Hamstra

Elijah Repairs the Altar of the LORD

Read: 1 Kings 18:1-2, 17-24, 30-32a
Text: Verses 30-32a

“You see, idols will take over our lives if we let them. Remember for us, we are talking about things like money and pleasure and comfort when we are talking about idols. Idols are things that take the place of God in our lives – often they are things that are good in themselves, but they become idols if they become God-substitutes. The broken-down altar teaches us that if we are not fighting against idolatry in our lives, the idols will take over – they will squeeze out the worship of God.”
— Rev. Jerry Hamstra

The Tenth Commandment (2) Contentment

Read: Philippians 4:10-20
Text: Verses 10-13

“Knowing Jesus and living to please him is so wonderful – so satisfying – so delightful – that it is possible to be content in every circumstance. That is something to think about! That is something to aspire to. Life can be good and for most of us it is good. But it can be so much better. We can know deeper joys and more profound delights and greater satisfactions by doing whatever it takes to grow in our love for Christ. One thing that this requires is time. Much of this happens inside our head – in our minds – in our thoughts. That involves the Word, but it also involves thinking. It requires thoughts of Christ and his glory – who he is, what he has done, what he is doing, what he will do. It requires thoughts of Christ to be welcome in our minds.”
— Rev. Jerry Hamstra

The Futility of Trusting Idols

Read: 1 Kings 18:1-2, 17-29
Text: Verses 23-29

“And so it is easy for us to place our trust in the things we can see rather than in the God whom we can’t see. The only way we know that everything that we need comes from God is from the Bible. God tells us in his word that he is our Shepherd and our provider. But we know that by faith. We do not know that empirically. God’s involvement in our lives and in the weather and in the economy is not something that we can discern on the basis of experience. We must believe it on the basis of God’s word.”
— Rev. Jerry Hamstra

The Tenth Commandment (1) You Shall Not Covet

“This is an important part of the biblical teaching concerning desires. We are to desire some things more than other things. Some desirable things are more important than other desirable things. We are to desire some things with all our hearts, and we are to desire other things with less than all our hearts and there are yet other things that we are not to desire at all. How we order our desires is a moral question. The kinds of things that we prioritize in our lives is a reflection of the kind of people we are, and God is concerned with what kind of people we are.”
— Rev. Jerry Hamstra