Rev. Jacob Dandy, pastor at Zion Lutheran Church and School in Terra Bella, CA, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Jeremiah 31:27-40. The LORD promises that days are coming when He will repopulate His people in their land; He will keep the promise He made concerning the Seed in Genesis 3. This act of new creation brings with it a new covenant. The people of God had broken the covenant that He had made with them at Sinai; therefore, He promises a new covenant that will be written not on table...
Jul 09, 2021•54 min
Rev. Philip Hoppe, pastor at Peace Lutheran Church in Finlayson, MN and St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Bruno, MN, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Jeremiah 31:1-26. Jeremiah continues his Book of Comfort with reminders of what the LORD did for His people in the Exodus; the return from exile would be another act of God’s undeserved everlasting love for His people. This salvation would bring the return of joyful sounds in the land of Israel as the LORD acted on behalf of His dearly loved chil...
Jul 08, 2021•57 min
Rev. Joel Haak, pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church in Rochester, MN, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Jeremiah 30:1-24. The LORD commands His prophet to write down His words, words that now turn to consolation as Jeremiah begins what is often called his “Book of Comfort.” The LORD’s promises of healing and restoration are given not only to Judah, but to all the children of Jacob. Sharp transitions from Law to Gospel are evident throughout the text. The day of distress comes, yet on that day...
Jul 07, 2021•55 min
Rev. Mark Barz, pastor at Crown of Life Lutheran Church in San Antonio, TX, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Jeremiah 29:15-32. Jeremiah continues his letter to the exiles by warning them against the false prophets who are active even there in Babylon. Jeremiah reminds them of the truth that those who remain in Judah and Jerusalem will be visited by sword, famine, and pestilence. False prophets such as Ahab and Zedekiah will be punished not simply as treasonous against Nebuchadnezzar but a...
Jul 06, 2021•56 min
Rev. AJ Espinosa, pastor at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Irvine, CA, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Jeremiah 29:1-14. Jeremiah writes a letter in order to proclaim the Word of God to the exiles in Babylon. The LORD tells His people in Babylon to settle down and make a home there. The exiles are to marry and give in marriage; they are to pray for Babylon and seek its welfare. This does not mean that the exiles are to assimilate into the idolatrous Babylonian culture; rather, they are to ...
Jul 05, 2021•54 min
Rev. James Preus, pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church in Ottumwa, IA, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Jeremiah 28:1-17. Hananiah begins his lying sermon just as Jeremiah is wrapping up his warning against the false prophets. Hananiah promises that the LORD will break the yoke of Babylon and bring the vessels of the temple and the exiles back to Jerusalem--precisely what Jeremiah said wouldn’t happen. Jeremiah responds calmly as a true prophet of the LORD; he prays that the LORD would delive...
Jul 02, 2021•55 min
Rev. Carl Roth, pastor at Grace Lutheran Church in Elgin, TX, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Jeremiah 27:1-22. The LORD tells Jeremiah to make a yoke for himself in order to preach His Word to nations. As a yoke places an animal under the control of its master, so the nations who have been attempting to ally against Babylon will be placed under the control of Nebuchadnezzar. Those who attempt to rebel against him will only be destroyed, but those who go in the direction of the way he lea...
Jul 01, 2021•55 min
Rev. David Vandercook, pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church in North Little Rock, AR and Shepherd of Peace Lutheran Church in Maumelle, AR, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Jeremiah 26:1-24. Only three months after the reign of the faithful King Josiah, the evil King Jehoiakim ascended the throne of Judah. In that context, Jeremiah was sent by the LORD to preach against Jerusalem in the temple. No matter how unpalatable the LORD’s Word might seem, Jeremiah was not to hold any of it back, in o...
Jun 30, 2021•55 min
Rev. Chris Hull, pastor at Zion Lutheran Church in Tomball, TX, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Jeremiah 25:15-29. The LORD gives the cup of His wrath to Jeremiah in order that His prophet would make the nations drink it. Jeremiah does as the LORD instructs and lists the nations near and far who will drink the LORD’s wrath. The list begins with the people of God in Judah; they are not exempt from the LORD’s fury. The list ends with the king of Babylon; even as he is the chosen instrument ...
Jun 29, 2021•54 min
Rev. Andrew Preus, pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church in Guttenberg, IA and St. Paul Lutheran Church in McGregor, IA, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Jeremiah 25:1-14. The beginning of Nebuchadnezzar’s reign in Babylon marked a crossroads for Jerusalem. With Egypt off his back, Jehoiakim thought that this could be the chance for Judah to break free from other nations politically. Into that situation, Jeremiah proclaims the sobering truth of God’s Word. His faithful preaching has not been h...
Jun 28, 2021•54 min
Rev. Tim Storck, pastor at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Chesterfield, MI, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Jeremiah 24:1-10. About 597 BC, Nebuchadnezzar took into exile King Jehoiachin, his mother, the craftsmen, the officials, and other leading citizens of Jerusalem. At that time, the LORD showed Jeremiah a vision of two baskets of figs. The first was full of the best figs imaginable; the second was full of figs that were so rotten they were good for absolutely nothing. The LORD told...
Jun 25, 2021•55 min
Rev. Andy Wright, pastor at St. John Lutheran Church in Keystone, IA, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Jeremiah 23:9-40. The LORD gives Jeremiah a word to speak against the lying prophets. Their false preaching has gone hand-in-hand with their godless living, leading the people of Judah astray. The LORD warns His people not to listen to these false prophets, for the hope they offer is all in vain. The LORD must be the One to send His preachers in order to give His hearers the assurance tha...
Jun 24, 2021•55 min
Rev. John Bussman, pastor at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Cullman, AL, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Jeremiah 23:1-8. The LORD will not tolerate the way the faithless leaders of Judah are abusing His people. The kings were called to be faithful shepherds to lead and protect God’s people according to His Word, but these shepherds had allied themselves with the work of the devil. The LORD will bring His condemnation upon them, and He will be the shepherd for His people. He will gather th...
Jun 23, 2021•55 min
Rev. Mike Newman, president of the Texas District of the Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Jeremiah 22:11-30. Jeremiah speaks specifically against the three evil kings of Judah who follow the righteous king Josiah. Shallum, also known as Jehoahaz, only reigned for three months following the death of Josiah. Shallum is told that he will never return to his place or the land of Israel, a terrible judgment. Jehoiakim’s reign is described as the exact antithesis...
Jun 22, 2021•56 min
Rev. Matt Wietfeldt, Director of Admissions and the Christ Academy program at Concordia Theological Seminary in Ft. Wayne, IN, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Jeremiah 21:11-22:10. The LORD speaks to the Davidic kings of Judah to remind them of their calling to execute justice for the people of God. Their evil deeds will not go unpunished; their location in Jerusalem will not protect them from the LORD’s wrath. They had been called by God to do justice and righteousness in Israel, particu...
Jun 21, 2021•54 min
Rev. Joel Heckmann, pastor at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Okarche, OK, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Jeremiah 21:1-10. As King Zedekiah watched the army of Babylon gather around Jerusalem with the intent of complete destruction, he inquired of the LORD through Jeremiah as a desperate last-ditch effort. The LORD remained consistent in His response; Jerusalem would fall to Babylon. The LORD Himself would be behind this; His anger and wrath would fight against His own people. Yet the LOR...
Jun 18, 2021•56 min
Rev. Nate Hill, pastor at St. Michael’s Lutheran Church in Winchester, TX, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Jeremiah 20:1-18. Passhur the priest listened to Jeremiah’s preaching concerning the broken flask, and he didn’t like what the prophet of the LORD had to say. He beat Jeremiah and put him in the stocks, a foreshadowing of Jesus’ passion. Upon his release, Jeremiah proclaimed judgment upon Passhur; he would be a terror to himself and his friends in the suffering and death endured at t...
Jun 17, 2021•55 min
Rev. Vance Becker, LCMS missionary serving as a theological educator at Neema Lutheran College in Matongo, Kenya, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Jeremiah 19:1-15. Learn more about Rev. Becker and how to support his work at lcms.org/becker . The LORD gives Jeremiah another object lesson from the world of pottery. He tells His prophet to take a clay jug along with some of the elders to the Valley of the Son of Hinnom. This unpleasant place was a burning trash dump where despicable idolatry...
Jun 16, 2021•55 min
Rev. Dustin Beck, pastor at Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Warda, TX; Rev. Jason M. Kaspar, pastor at Mt. Calvary Lutheran Church in La Grange, TX; and Rev. Nate Hill, pastor at St. Michael’s Lutheran Church in Winchester, TX, join host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Jeremiah 18:1-23. The LORD sends Jeremiah to the house of a potter to observe the way the potter worked and reworked his clay. The LORD then gives His Word to Jeremiah to interpret the object lesson. The LORD is the potter, and His peop...
Jun 15, 2021•55 min
Rev. Sam Wirgau, pastor at Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Ossian, IN, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Jeremiah 17:14-27. Jeremiah calls upon the LORD to heal and save him in the face of his persecutors. He has preached faithfully and expects the LORD to be his refuge. The faithful prophet asks the LORD to spare him from the shame and dismay that will come upon those who persecute. The LORD then sends Jeremiah to the gate by which the people come into Jerusalem in order to preach to them con...
Jun 14, 2021•53 min
Rev. Peter Ill, pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church in Millstadt, IL, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Jeremiah 17:1-13. Judah’s sin is permanently engraved into their hearts. Though this writing is unseen to human eyes, their idolatrous sacrifices at numerous altars and high places shows the depth of their depravity. For this idolatry, the LORD will cast them out of the land. What hope is there for Judah? To trust in man and his strength is to look for life in the desert. Only those who tru...
Jun 11, 2021•54 min
Rev. Sean Kilgo, pastor at Redeemer Lutheran Church in Lawrence, KS, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Jeremiah 16:1-21. The LORD gives Jeremiah another enacted prophecy by commanding him to forgo marriage and children, funerals and feasts. Such good gifts of God will not be enjoyed in the Promised Land anymore because the people of Judah have forsaken the LORD from one generation to the next. Therefore, the LORD will hurl them from the Promised Land. Yet He promises deliverance for His peo...
Jun 10, 2021•54 min
Rev. Dr. Thomas Egger, president of Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, MO, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Jeremiah 15:1-21. Jeremiah preaches in one of the most painful times in the history of Israel. The LORD tells Jeremiah that even if the greatest intercessors from the past were to pray for His people, still He would not relent. The sins of Manasseh were the tipping point, and His people have had no lasting repentance. Judgment and destruction will come; the LORD has wearied of relentin...
Jun 09, 2021•57 min
Rev. Andrew Jagow, pastor at Bethany Lutheran Church in Alexandria, VA joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Jeremiah 14:1-22. Jeremiah preaches to the people of Judah in the midst of a horrific drought. Droughts were common in the history of Israel. Theologically, a drought was one of the covenant curses from Deuteronomy 28, by which the LORD intended to call His people to repentance. In response to the drought, Jeremiah offered a prayer of confession on behalf of the people of Judah, calling ...
Jun 08, 2021•55 min
Rev. Dustin Beck, pastor at Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Warda, TX, goes “Back to the Forge” with host Rev. Timothy Appel to answer listener email concerning false teaching. What is decision theology, and why is it contrary to the true teaching from God’s Word concerning salvation by grace through faith in Christ? What should you do if you think your pastor is preaching falsely? What is the difference between heresy and heterodoxy? What helpful distinction does Dr. Francis Pieper make concernin...
Jun 07, 2021•31 min
Rev. Dr. Jeff Pulse, the Dr. Dean O. Wenthe professor of Old Testament Theology, director of certification and placement, and director of continuing education at Concordia Theological Seminary in Ft. Wayne, IN, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Jeremiah 13:15-27. The people of Judah and Jerusalem must do what they have not yet done; they must listen to the LORD’s Word. If they do not forsake their pride and give Him glory, He will turn their light into darkness. Jeremiah mourns for the dest...
Jun 07, 2021•55 min
Rev. Tim Koch, pastor at Emanuel Lutheran Church in Milbank, SD, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Jeremiah 13:1-14. The LORD gives Jeremiah an enacted prophecy through the prophet’s purchase of a linen loincloth. At the LORD’s command, Jeremiah noticeably wears it for a time in front of the people of Judah before burying it for a time. When the LORD tells Jeremiah to take his loincloth again after many days, the loincloth is completely ruined. The LORD then tells Jeremiah how to preach thi...
Jun 04, 2021•54 min
Rev. Mark Squire, pastor at Immanuel Lutheran Church in St. Ansgar, IA, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Jeremiah 12:1-17. Jeremiah picks up the common lament of the Scriptures: why do the wicked prosper? Jeremiah wonders why he suffers affliction and persecution while the wicked grow and thrive under the LORD, and so the prophet prays for justice against them. The LORD does not condemn Jeremiah’s plea as whining, nor does He answer in a way that we might expect. Instead, the LORD tells Je...
Jun 03, 2021•55 min
Rev. Bart Day, president and CEO of the Lutheran Church Extension Fund in St. Louis, MO, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Jeremiah 11:1-23. Learn more about LCEF at lcef.org . Jeremiah preaches that the people of Judah and Jerusalem have failed to listen to the words of the covenant that the LORD made with them. By worshiping idols, they have forsaken the freedom that was theirs in having the LORD as their God. The LORD had persistently called His people to repent, but one generation after...
Jun 02, 2021•56 min
Rev. Hans Fiene, pastor at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in Crestwood, MO, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Jeremiah 10:1-25. God mocks idolatry in order to show His people that the nations and their gods do not need to be feared. Idols are only human creations; they are as lifeless as scarecrows that can do absolutely nothing. In complete contrast, the LORD is the one true God and King over every nation and all creation. He alone is to be feared as the One who created and sustains all t...
Jun 01, 2021•58 min
