Rev. Jeremiah Johnson, pastor at Glory of Christ Lutheran Church in Plymouth, MN, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study 1 Corinthians 12:1-11. St. Paul begins to instruct the Corinthians concerning the works of the Spirit among them. The Holy Spirit brings sinners from the silence of idolatry to open their lips in a true confession: "Jesus is Lord!" United in that one confession, the one Spirit works in His Church according to His good and perfect will. In His various works, He gives to His Chr...
Dec 11, 2023•56 min
Rev. Dustin Beck, pastor at Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Warda, TX, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study 1 Corinthians 11:17-34. St. Paul gives much-needed correction to the Corinthians' practice at the Lord's Table. Because of their abuses, they are not coming together to eat the Lord's Supper, but their own. He calls them back to the basics: the Words of Jesus that declare that this meal is His true Body and Blood. When we receive it, we proclaim His death until He comes. Therefore, those w...
Dec 08, 2023•55 min
Rev. David Boisclair, pastor at Our Redeemer Lutheran Church in Overland, MO, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study 1 Corinthians 11:2-16. St. Paul commends the Corinthians for remembering him and maintaining the things he had handed down to them. As he turns to address the matter of head coverings, he lays out the primary theological principle: the head of every man is Christ, the head of a wife is her husband, and the head of Christ is God. Such headship is a good gift from God, and those pra...
Dec 07, 2023•54 min
Rev. Vance Becker, LCMS missionary to Kenya, serving as theological education at Neema Lutheran College in Matongo, Kenya, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study 1 Corinthians 10:23-11:1. St. Paul once again returns to a Corinthian slogan: "All things are lawful." This cannot be the guiding principle for the use of Christian freedom because not all things are helpful, and not all things build up the neighbor. The individual Christian conscience can give thanks for all meat, knowing that everythi...
Dec 06, 2023•55 min
Rev. James Preus, pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church in Ottumwa, IA, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study 1 Corinthians 10:14-22. Appealing to his beloved congregation according to the wisdom that comes from God's Word, St. Paul urges the Corinthians to flee from idolatry. This is the only sensible thing to do because they are participants in the Lord's Table. There, they receive the cup of blessing, which is a participation in Christ's Blood, and the bread, which is a participation in Christ's...
Dec 05, 2023•56 min
Rev. Carl Roth, pastor at Grace Lutheran Church in Elgin, TX, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study 1 Corinthians 10:1-13. Having spoken of his own need to watch out for falling from the faith, St. Paul warns the Corinthians similarly using the example of the Israelites. They all received the same blessings of Christ in the exodus from Egypt and the Lord's provision in the wilderness, yet not all of them believed; many of them fell from the faith. As the Corinthians receive the gifts of Christ ...
Dec 04, 2023•55 min
Rev. Doug Griebenaw, mission advocate for KFUO Radio in St. Louis, MO, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study 1 Corinthians 9:1-27. St. Paul uses himself as an example of the use of Christian freedom for the sake of love of the neighbor. On the one hand, he is free in Christ to receive compensation for preaching of the Gospel. This reality is not even a human tradition, but a teaching from the Lord Himself. Other preachers rightly make their living because they are preachers of the Gospel, and h...
Dec 01, 2023•55 min
Rev. Dr. Adam Filipek, pastor at Holy Cross and Immanuel Lutheran Churches, both in Lidgerwood, ND, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study 1 Corinthians 8:1-13. St. Paul turns to another matter that the Corinthians have brought to his attention: eating meat sacrificed to idols. The Corinthians have boasted concerning their knowledge, but the Apostle directs their attention to using that knowledge in love. It is good that Christians have knowledge; we must know that there is one God, the Father, ...
Nov 30, 2023•55 min
Rev. Andrew Jagow, pastor at Bethany Lutheran Church in Alexandria, VA, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study 1 Corinthians 7:25-40. Without binding consciences, St. Paul reminds the Corinthians of the gifts that God has both for the married and the celibate. He instructs the congregation in light of the fact that the Lord is coming soon. For that reason, they ought to live in the midst of the things of this world, which will pass away, with their eyes focused on the life of the world to come, ...
Nov 29, 2023•57 min
Rev. Jason M. Kaspar, pastor at Mount Calvary Lutheran Church in La Grange, TX, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study 1 Corinthians 7:1-24. St. Paul begins to address the matter of marriage as he starts answering questions that the Corinthians had asked in previous correspondence. He upholds the goodness of both God’s gift of marriage and God’s gift of celibacy. If a person has not been given the gift of celibacy, that person is right to seek after marriage in holiness and honor in order to avo...
Nov 28, 2023•55 min
Rev. Tom Eckstein, pastor at Concordia Lutheran Church in Jamestown, ND, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study 1 Corinthians 6:12-20. St. Paul addresses some of the slogans being thrown around among the Corinthian Christians. The freedom of the Christian is not the only governing principle. Instead, Christians should shape their actions according to what is helpful and what will not enslave. Christians dare not be unconcerned with the life that we live in the body, for God will raise us bodily ...
Nov 27, 2023•55 min
Rev. John Bussman, pastor at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Cullman, AL joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Philippians 4:6-20. The church at Philippi had seen the Apostle Paul go through highs and lows during his ministry. As he writes his letter to them from prison, he proclaims to them the joy that remains theirs in Christ regardless of their circumstances. Because the LORD’s return is near, Christians live differently in the world. We are freed from anxiousness and worry through the comfor...
Nov 24, 2023•53 min
Rev. Sam Wirgau, pastor at Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Ossian, IN joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Luke 17:11-19. Samaria was not a place where many Jews of Jesus’ day ventured, but that is exactly the route Jesus took to Jerusalem and His cross. There Jesus encountered ten lepers. These men not only suffered greatly physically from this terrible illness. Even more than that, they were separated from their community and worship life through the ceremonial uncleanness they endured. This se...
Nov 23, 2023•53 min
Rev. Andrew Preus, pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church in New Haven, MO, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study 1 Corinthians 6:1-11. St. Paul continues the theme of judgment within the Church by addressing the matter of lawsuits among fellow Christians. St. Paul is amazed that the Corinthians dare to stoop to such a low, for they ought to have the mind of Christ. If they will one day judge angels as Christians, they should right now be able to judge such trivial matters like property among themse...
Nov 22, 2023•55 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 1 Corinthians 5:1-13. St. Paul turns to a report he has received concerning a case of sexual immorality happening among the Corinthian Christians. Although the particular sexual immorality would make even pagans blush, the Christians in Corinth are proud. St. Paul calls them to mourn this sin among them and remove the unrepentant man from their ...
Nov 21, 2023•56 min
Rev. Shawn Linnell, pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church in Blair, NE, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study 1 Corinthians 4:1-21. St. Paul tells the Corinthians that they must regard him and all faithful Christian preachers, not as leaders who are gathering their own followers, but as servants of God and stewards of His mysteries for the sake of bringing sinners to salvation in Christ. He is the One who has given all things to Paul; He is the One who has given all things to the church in Corinth....
Nov 20, 2023•56 min
Rev. Mike Newman, president of the Texas District of the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study 1 Corinthians 3:1-23. St. Paul laments that he is not able to address the Corinthians as people living by the Spirit. Their divisions show that they are living according to the flesh. Rather than understanding different preachers as leaders of different factions, the Corinthians must see faithful preachers as God’s servants. Though their labor may be different, they wor...
Nov 17, 2023•58 min
Rev. Rick Jones, Chaplain and Vice-President of Spiritual Life at the Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch in Minot, ND, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study 1 Corinthians 2:1-16. St. Paul reminds the Corinthians of his time among them. His preaching was focused on Christ and Him crucified so that the Corinthians would not place their faith in the wisdom of the preacher, but in the power of God. This does not mean that there is no wisdom in Christianity; rather, it means that the wisdom of Christianity...
Nov 16, 2023•55 min
Rev. Matt Wietfeldt, Assistant Vice President of Admissions and Director of the Christ Academy Program at Concordia Theological Seminary in Ft. Wayne, IN, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study 1 Corinthians 1:18-31. St. Paul lays out a key thesis for his letter to the Corinthians. Christ crucified is the power and wisdom of God for the salvation of sinners. Although both the cross and its preaching look like folly and weakness to the world, the Christian church sees with the eyes of faith and c...
Nov 15, 2023•56 min
Rev. Dr. Christian Preus, pastor at Mount Hope Lutheran Church and School in Casper, WY, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study 1 Corinthians 1:10-17. St. Paul sets the stage for all of the matters of faith and life that he will address with the Corinthian Christians by calling them first to unite in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Factions have arisen within the congregation following after a particular preacher; these are out of place because Christ is not divided. He is the One crucified f...
Nov 14, 2023•56 min
Rev. James Uglum, pastor at Chapel of the Cross Lutheran Church in St. Peters, MO, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study 1 Corinthians 1:1-9. The epistle we know as 1 Corinthians is a part of ongoing correspondence between St. Paul and the Christian church at Corinth. St. Paul had stayed there for a lengthy period of time during his second missionary journey, and he now writes to them while he is on his third missionary journey in response, both to a letter from them and to reports he has recei...
Nov 13, 2023•56 min
“Nothing But Christ Crucified” is a series on Sharper Iron that goes through the epistle of 1 Corinthians. In response to correspondence from the Christians in Corinth and reports about matters arising in the congregation, St. Paul writes to address various matters of Christian faith and life. Throughout it all, he directs our attention to the power and wisdom of God for our salvation: Christ crucified. Sharper Iron, hosted by Rev. Timothy Appel, looks at the text of Holy Scripture both in its b...
Nov 13, 2023•3 min
Rev. Mark Squire, pastor at Immanuel Lutheran Church in St. Ansgar, IA, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Hebrews 13:20-25. The author of Hebrews bestows God’s blessing upon the congregation who has heard his sermon. Because God has raised Jesus from the dead, Christians truly have His peace. Jesus is our Lord and Good Shepherd who has sacrificed Himself to shed His blood and establish God’s eternal covenant with us. He is the One who equips us for a holy life as He works His will in us, so...
Nov 10, 2023•56 min
Rev. Nate Hill, pastor at St. Michael’s Lutheran Church in Winchester, TX, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Hebrews 13:1-19. The author of Hebrews begins to draw his sermon to a close as he shows his congregation what the holiness that God gives to them in the Divine Service looks like in their lives. Because Jesus is our Brother, we show love to each other within the Christian Church. That is true even as we show love to our fellow Christians who are strangers or who are persecuted for th...
Nov 09, 2023•56 min
Rev. Sean Kilgo, pastor at Redeemer Lutheran Church in Lawrence, KS, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Hebrews 12:18-29. The author of Hebrews tells his congregation that they have not come to the things of the old covenant, in which the people could not bear to hear the presence of God in terror on Mount Sinai. In the new covenant, they have been brought into the presence of God on the true Mount Zion, along with all the saints and the heavenly host, where they have Jesus as their mediator...
Nov 08, 2023•56 min
Rev. William Terjesen, pastor at the Lutheran Church of Our Redeemer in Peekskill, NY, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Hebrews 12:3-17. The author of Hebrews continues to fix the eyes of his congregation upon Jesus. The Lord’s endurance in the face of hostility is the source of strength for Christians in the midst of their suffering. When Christians experience the trials of this life, they should not think that God has forsaken them. Instead, they should receive suffering as discipline fr...
Nov 07, 2023•56 min
Rev. Dr. Ryan Tietz, Associate Professor of Exegetical Theology and Dean of Students at Concordia Theological Seminary in Ft. Wayne, IN, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Hebrews 12:1-2. The author of Hebrews now draws an important conclusion from his hall of faith chapter and from the entirety of his sermon so far. The saints who have gone before us surround us as a cloud, reminding us that we have been brought into God’s presence along with them by faith in Jesus. For that reason, he exho...
Nov 06, 2023•56 min
Rev. Bryan Wolfmueller, pastor at St. Paul and Jesus Deaf Lutheran Churches, both in Austin, TX, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Hebrews 11:32-40. As the author of Hebrews draws his list of saints to a close, he says that there is not enough time right now to list everyone. As he moves quickly through the time of the judges and kings and prophets, the author then begins to describe a wide range of the exploits accomplished by faith. At first, this list seems to be growing in the grandeur ...
Nov 03, 2023•56 min
Rev. Philip Hoppe, pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church in Colby, KS, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Hebrews 11:23-31. The author of Hebrews continues his list of Old Testament saints who lived by faith by taking us into the days of Moses. Moses’ parents saw their son as God saw him and so hid Moses in faith. When Moses was grown, he chose to be mistreated along with the people of God over the riches he would have received as a prince of Egypt. In faith in the coming Christ, Moses looked to...
Nov 02, 2023•55 min
Rev. Tim Storck, pastor at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Chesterfield, MI, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Hebrews 11:8-22. The author of Hebrews continues his list of Old Testament saints who lived by faith by discussing Abraham. Although Abraham did not know where he was going, he went to the land promised to him by God. He lived there in tents, looking forward to the eternal city that God has in store. By faith in God’s promise, Sarah conceived in her old age, so that God brought in...
Nov 01, 2023•55 min
