Rev. Peter Ill, pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church in Millstadt, IL, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Acts 4:23-37. In response to their persecution, Peter and John gather with the Church to pray. They address God as the Creator of all things who has revealed Himself in the Scriptures and in His Son, Jesus. They pray from Psalm 2, recognizing that God has fulfilled His promise to reign by the resurrection of Jesus. They ask God to continue to keep His promise from Psalm 2 and to make them b...
May 04, 2022•55 min
Rev. AJ Espinosa, pastor at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Irvine, CA, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Acts 4:1-22. When the Sanhedrin finds out about the preaching of Peter and John in the temple, they have the two apostles arrested. The Sadducees, having great power and influence, are particularly disturbed not only by the preaching of the resurrection, but particularly by the preaching that the resurrection is found only in Jesus. The Holy Spirit takes their questioning as yet another o...
May 03, 2022•55 min
Rev. Dr. Scott Murray, pastor at Memorial Lutheran Church in Houston, TX, and 3rd Vice President of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Acts 3:1-26. The lame man in Acts 3 had a prime spot for begging for alms, yet on the day recorded by St. Luke, Peter and John had a far better gift for the man. In the name of Jesus, they gave this man the gift of healing; the man promptly began walking and leaping and praising God. As the gathering crowd realized who this...
May 02, 2022•56 min
Rev. Isaac Schuller, Pastor at First Immanuel Lutheran Church in San Jose, CA, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Acts 2:37-47. The Word of God preached by Peter cuts the hearers to the heart, and they ask the apostle directly: “What then shall we do?” Peter’s answer is all Gospel, that which God does for sinners. Both repentance and baptism are God’s gifts to sinners. Peter’s words clearly reveal that baptism is for all people, even infants. Baptism is the gift of God by which He names us a...
Apr 29, 2022•56 min
Rev. Bernie Schey, pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church in Old Dime Box, TX, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Acts 2:14-36. Peter is quick to address the confusion of the crowd on Pentecost. The disciples are not drunk; rather, the Holy Spirit has been given in fulfillment of Joel 2. The people must understand that this means the last days have come in Jesus; today is the day to call upon His name for salvation. Though they should have known who Jesus was from the signs and wonders He did, th...
Apr 28, 2022•56 min
Rev. Harrison Goodman, content executive for Higher Things, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Acts 2:1-13. The day of Pentecost finds its Old Testament background in the Feast of Weeks, which happens fifty days after the Passover. When that day arrives, Jesus’ disciples are all together in Jerusalem, waiting for Jesus to fulfill His promise by sending the Holy Spirit. Jesus keeps that promise, and the signs that are given cannot be separated from the Word that is proclaimed. The sound of th...
Apr 27, 2022•56 min
Rev. James Preus, pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church in Ottumwa, IA, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Acts 1:12-26. After Jesus’ ascension, His disciples return to Jerusalem, according to His command. They gather together as the Church, including the faithful women and Jesus’ mother and brothers, in order to devote themselves to prayer. As they wait for Jesus to send the Spirit, they go about the task of filling Judas’ empty office. Peter recognizes the Scripture as the inspired Word of God...
Apr 26, 2022•57 min
Rev. Dr. Jeffrey Oschwald, professor of exegetical theology at Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, MO, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Acts 1:1-11. In his Gospel, St. Luke told what Jesus began to do and teach. Now, in Acts, St. Luke tells what Jesus continues to do and teach through His Word proclaimed in the Church. Acts was written to Theophilus in order to show how the Word of the Lord continued to grow and bear fruit through the proclamation of the work of the apostles. Though Peter and...
Apr 25, 2022•56 min
“To the End of the Earth” is a mini-series on Sharper Iron that goes through the book of Acts. In his second volume, St. Luke records all the things that Jesus continued to do through the ministry of His Church. By the end of the book, the proclamation of the Lord’s Word that began in Jerusalem grows all the way to Rome. By God’s grace, even now, that same Word is proclaimed to us. Sharper Iron, hosted by Rev. Timothy Appel, looks at the text of Holy Scripture both in its broad context and its n...
Apr 25, 2022•3 min
Rev. Dustin Beck, pastor at Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Warda, TX joins host Rev. Timothy Appel for Sharathon 2022 to study the Easter hymn, “O Sons and Daughters of the King.” This joyful Easter hymn tells the account of what happened on the day of Jesus’ resurrection and one week later. The faithful women went to Jesus’ tomb early in the morning on the first day of the week; there they were met by the angel who told them the news of Jesus’ resurrection. They told that news to the apostles, t...
Apr 22, 2022•50 min
Rev. Sean Kilgo, pastor at Redeemer Lutheran Church in Lawrence, KS, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel for Sharathon 2022 to study Martin Luther’s Easter hymn, “Christ Jesus Lay in Death’s Strong Bands.” This marvelous Easter hymn helps us to rejoice that Christ is the Savior who has done what we could not do. Our sin left us powerless in the prison of death, but Jesus has come to conquer this greatest enemy of ours and strip it of its reign and power. The strife was real and strange, yet the outcom...
Apr 21, 2022•54 min
Rev. Sean Daenzer, director of worship for The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod and chaplain at the International Center in St. Louis, MO, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Luke 24:36-53. As all the disciples discuss the news from the two Emmaus travelers, Jesus Himself stands among them to give them His peace. He shows His hands and feet, not only as proof of His bodily resurrection, but also so that they would see the scars that mark Him as their Savior. Eating in their presence further con...
Apr 20, 2022•56 min
Rev. Zelwyn Heide, pastor at St. Peter Lutheran Church in Hannover, ND and Zion Lutheran Church in New Salem, ND, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Luke 24:13-35. On Easter afternoon, Cleopas and another of Jesus’ disciples were walking to Emmaus, when the Lord Himself came and joined their journey. They were kept from recognizing Him, and He struck up a conversation about the events of the previous days. These two disciples had a decent picture of who Jesus was, but they had failed to gras...
Apr 19, 2022•56 min
Rev. Shawn Linnell, pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church in Blair, NE, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Luke 24:1-12. St. Luke’s carefully arranged timeline establishes Jesus’ resurrection as the beginning of a new creation, the eighth day on which Jesus makes all things new. The women were faithful followers of Jesus as they went to the tomb to anoint His body, but like everyone else, they did not fully comprehend what Jesus had taught them. The two angels announce the Easter Gospel to the w...
Apr 18, 2022•55 min
Rev. Clint Poppe, pastor at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Lincoln, NE, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Luke 23:50-56. As a member of the Sanhedrin and a rich man, Joseph of Arimathea seems an unlikely disciple. Yet the Lord’s Word had brought Joseph to faith. Looking for the kingdom of God, Joseph actually got to see the King bringing His kingdom, though Joseph probably didn’t expect to see it as he buried the Savior. As Jesus was wrapped in swaddling cloths as a baby, now Jesus was wr...
Apr 15, 2022•55 min
Rev. Luke Zimmerman, pastor at Calvary Evangelical Lutheran Church in Mechanicsburg, PA, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Luke 23:26-49. With Jesus weak from all the beatings He received, the Roman soldiers force Simon of Cyrene to carry Jesus’ cross to Golgotha. In this way, Simon provides a concrete picture of discipleship. As the crowd around Jesus grows, the faithful women begin to mourn and lament. Jesus instructs them not to lament both because the things He does are necessary and be...
Apr 14, 2022•55 min
Rev. Andrew Jagow, pastor at Bethany Lutheran Church in Alexandria, VA, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Luke 23:1-25. Jesus is brought to trial before Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor of Judea. The Sanhedrin lobs false accusations against Jesus, but Pilate is primarily concerned with whether or not Jesus claims to be a king who will lead a rebellion against Rome. Though Pilate finds Jesus innocent, the crowd’s persistence leads to Pilate sending Jesus to Herod. In Jesus’ trial before He...
Apr 13, 2022•56 min
Rev. Rick Jones, chaplain and director of spiritual life at the Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch in Minot, ND, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Luke 22:54-71. As Jesus is led away to His trial, Peter undergoes the trial that Jesus had predicted. With escalating intensity, Peter denies knowing Jesus, being among His disciples, and even being from the same geographic region. When Jesus looks at Peter, the disciple is brought to tears as He remembers Jesus’ words. This provides an example of contr...
Apr 12, 2022•55 min
Rev. David Boisclair, pastor at Bethesda and Faith Lutheran Churches in north St. Louis County, MO, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Luke 22:39-53. Jesus takes His disciples from the upper room to the Mount of Olives. There He prays in great agony, knowing the suffering He is about to endure. Even as He asks if salvation for sinners can be accomplished in another way, Jesus prays that His Father’s will would be done. Jesus finds His disciples sleeping instead of praying as Judas comes to b...
Apr 11, 2022•54 min
Rev. Steve Andrews, pastor at St. Matthew Lutheran Church in Lee’s Summit, MO, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Luke 22:24-38. The disciples’ questions concerning who would betray Jesus turn into a dispute concerning who is the greatest. As they have throughout Jesus’ ministry, the disciples continue to misunderstand the way Jesus will bring the kingdom of God through His suffering and death. Jesus teaches them that earthly greatness is not a concern in His kingdom; rather, life in the kin...
Apr 08, 2022•55 min
Rev. Matt Ulmer, pastor at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Bishop, TX, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Luke 22:1-23. As Jesus enters into His Passion, the Old Testament context of the Passover provides the background. Jesus is the Lamb of God who gives Himself as the sacrifice in order to rescue us from slavery to sin, death, and the devil. The devil takes an active role by leading Judas to betray the Lord into the hands of the chief priests. Nonetheless, Jesus remains in control; He directs ...
Apr 07, 2022•55 min
Rev. Brian Flamme, pastor at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Roswell, NM, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Luke 21:5-38. When people begin to speak of the temple’s noble stones, Jesus foretells the destruction of the temple and Jerusalem. In response to their question concerning the timing and the signs, Jesus teaches an extended discourse that not only accurately speaks of the siege and fall of Jerusalem in AD 70, but also speaks about His own return on the Last Day. Wars and natural disaster...
Apr 06, 2022•56 min
Rev. Joel Heckmann, pastor at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Okarche, OK, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Luke 20:41-21:4. After some of the scribes recognize that Jesus had spoken well, the Lord puts the question to them. He asks them how to interpret Psalm 110. They rightly recognize that the Christ is David’s son; how can Psalm 110 also call the Christ David’s Lord? Through His insightful question, Jesus teaches us to read the Old Testament with Him as the center and calls the scribes t...
Apr 05, 2022•55 min
Rev. Nate Hill, pastor at St. Michael’s Lutheran Church in Winchester, TX, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Luke 20:27-40. The Sadducees, known for their rejection of the resurrection, spirits, and angels, take their turn at trying to trap Jesus. They pose a ridiculous example to Jesus based on the practice of levirate marriage, a practice given by Moses in the Law. They believe they have Jesus trapped, as the situation seems ludicrous in the resurrection. Though Jesus could have simply ig...
Apr 04, 2022•54 min
Rev. Jacob Dandy, pastor at Zion Lutheran Church and School in Terra Bella, CA, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Luke 20:19-26. The scribes and chief priests realize that Jesus has spoken a parable against them. They send spies in an attempt to trap Jesus. In their hypocrisy, these men end up speaking true words concerning Jesus, even though they do not believe what they say. They attempt to trap Jesus in a question about paying taxes to Caesar, thinking that He will either run afoul of th...
Apr 01, 2022•54 min
Rev. Jeremiah Johnson, pastor at Glory of Christ Lutheran Church in Plymouth, MN, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Luke 20:9-18. In response to the challenge against His authority, Jesus tells the people a parable about a man who owned a vineyard and leased it to tenants. His tenants owed all the fruit to him, but they refused to deliver it to any of the owner’s servants. When the owner finally sent his son, the tenants treated him worst of all and killed him. In this parable, Jesus uses t...
Mar 31, 2022•55 min
Rev. Sean Kilgo, pastor at Redeemer Lutheran Church in Lawrence, KS, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Luke 20:1-8. On Holy Tuesday, Jesus continues His teaching in the temple, filling it with His true doctrine and the good news of the salvation He is about to accomplish in Jerusalem. The Sanhedrin was rightly concerned with discerning true teaching from false doctrine, but they were derelict in their duty. They questioned Jesus’ authority in an attempt to carry out their desire to destroy ...
Mar 30, 2022•55 min
Rev. Richard Mittwede, pastor at University Lutheran Church in Austin, TX, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Luke 19:41-48. The joy surrounding Jesus’ ride toward Jerusalem contrasts with His weeping and lament upon seeing the city. Though Jesus enters the city to make peace between God and sinners, Jerusalem refuses to receive Him in faith. As they had rejected the proclamation of repentance by prophets such as Jeremiah, so they now reject Jesus. In the Old Testament, the Babylonians broug...
Mar 29, 2022•55 min
Rev. Tim Eden, pastor at Bethel Lutheran Church in Bryan, TX, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Luke 19:28-40. The time has arrived. Jesus has set His face toward Jerusalem, and now He prepares to enter into His city as the true King. His entrance on a colt clearly identifies Him as the King, yet the King who comes in humility for the purpose He has revealed to His disciples many times: He comes to suffer, die, and rise in Jerusalem. Jesus’ precise instructions to His disciples concerning t...
Mar 28, 2022•56 min
Rev. Stephen Preus, pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church in Vinton, IA, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Luke 19:11-27. Jesus’ impending entrance into Jerusalem and His recent encounters with a blind man and Zacchaeus have left the crowds with incorrect expectations about the coming of God’s kingdom. Jesus tells a parable in order to instruct them in the truth. Jesus is the nobleman who goes off to receive a kingdom by His death, resurrection, and ascension. He leaves His disciples with His g...
Mar 25, 2022•55 min
