Sharper Iron from KFUO Radio
by KFUO Radio
Sharper Iron, hosted by Rev. Timothy Appel, looks at the text of Holy Scripture both in its broad context and its narrow detail, all for the sake of proclaiming Christ crucified and risen for sinners. Two pastors engage with God’s Word to sharpen not only their own faith and knowledge, but the faith and knowledge of all who listen.Sharper Iron is underwritten by Lutheran Church Extension Fund, where your investments help support the work of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. Visit lcef.org.
Episodes
-
Job 19:1-29: I Know that My Redeemer Lives
Job responds to Bildad by imploring his friends to stop their torment. Although Job cries out to God, Job hears no answer. Job laments that God has come against him as an enemy and that God has left him all alone. Even in the midst of his suffering, Job makes a glorious confession. He knows that...
-
Job 18:1-21: Are Job's Friends Stupid?
As Bildad begins his second speech, he takes exception to Job's apparent conclusion that the three friends are no smarter than cattle. Bildad says that he knows what happens to the wicked. With vivid imagery, Bildad explains to Job that the light of the wicked is extinguished, the strength of the...
-
Job 16:1-17:16: Can I Get a Witness?
Job tells his friends that their so-called comfort only adds to his misery. Job's suffering in body and soul has been intense; of course, he calls out to God in his pain! Job particularly desires that a son of man would go as a witness in heaven to present his case before God. Even as Job's…
more -
Job 15:1-35: Bullying Rhetorical Questions
Eliphaz begins his second speech to Job by accusing Job of spouting off wisdom no better than the wind. Although Eliphaz is convinced Job knows neither the fear nor the council of God, Eliphaz believes he does know such wisdom. Through bullying rhetorical questions, Eliphaz attempts to put Job in...
-
Job 14:1-22: God, Seal My Sins in a Bag!
As Job continues his speech in response to Zophar, Job continues to cry out to God. Job knows his life is short; why is God paying so much attention to him? Job sees more hope for a tree that has been cut down than for himself. Yet even in such a low moment, Job recognizes that if God would hide...
-
Job 13:1-28: Job Asks for His Day in God's Court
Job continues his response to Zophar, saying that he is aware of the things Zophar has said. What Job desires is an audience before God in the heavenly courtroom. Job knows that his friends are speaking falsely for God, attempting to defend God without knowing His will. Job, on the other hand…
more -
Job 12:1-25: Even the Beasts Know God’s Sovereignty
In response to Zophar, Job begins his longest speech so far. He sarcastically replies that his friends must be the only wise men around while Job remains a laughingstock. Yet Job counters that even the animals can see through the folly of his friends. Of course, God is responsible for all things,...
-
Job 11:1-20: A Multitude of Words Doesn’t Guarantee Truth
Job’s third friend, Zophar, takes his first turn to speak. Zophar notes that Job has spoken many words, but Zophar reminds Job that doesn’t mean Job is correct. Zophar questions Job’s claim to be pure and states that Job actually deserves worse punishment. Job may not know the wisdom of the...
-
Job 10:1-22: God, Leave Me Alone!
Job’s complaint again turns freely toward God. He asks God why He oppresses the work of His hands as if He is seeking out the guilt of Job. Job sees no deliverance from the almighty hand of God. Job compares God to a lion on the hunt and an enemy general. If this is the way God is going to act…
more -
Job 9:1-35: If I Only Had an Arbiter
As Job responds to Bildad, Job knows that God is just—but he wonders how many can be just before God. He knows that God is the Creator who is far more powerful than any person, but Job cannot interact with God or see what He is doing. Job knows that God will win in a fight every time, and that is...
-
Job 8:1-22: Just Repent, and God Will Make It Better
Bildad takes a turn to respond to Job. In tactless and hurtful words, he asserts Job’s children surely got what they deserved. However, if Job will simply admit his wrong and plead for God’s mercy, God is sure to make Job’s latter days great. Bildad believes history proves his point—those who...
-
Job 7:1-21: In God’s Crosshairs
Job’s complaint continues. He compares himself to a slave who works all day yet receives no payment for his labor other than sleepless nights. He turns directly to God with his lament. Job feels God’s gaze upon him as a terror and a nightmare. He wonders why God has made him a target instead of...
-
Job 6:1-30: The Mirage of Friendship Doesn’t Help Suffering
Job responds to Eliphaz. Job’s suffering is real, and his suffering is heavy. Job has no strength of his own remaining, and now his “friends” have proven themselves treacherous. Job calls upon his friends to show real care and concern for him instead of trying to convict him of sin. Rev. David...
-
Job 5:1-27: Adverse Axioms
Eliphaz continues his response to Job. He knows from experience that Job’s affliction hasn’t come from nowhere. Eliphaz advises Job to seek God; if Job will do his part in repenting, then Eliphaz is convinced that God will do His part in restoring Job. Eliphaz is sure that he is right, and he...
-
Job 4:1-21: Eliphaz Tells a Ghost Story
Eliphaz begins to respond to Job. Whereas Job had once been the teacher, Eliphaz claims that now Job is being taught. Eliphaz says that he has seen that the innocent do not perish; instead, those who have iniquity are those who suffer. Eliphaz even claims that a spirit came to him by night to...
-
Job 3:1-26: Life without God Is Worse than Death
After seven days of silence with his friends, Job speaks first. With vivid imagery, he curses the day of his birth and says it would be better if he were now dead. Yet this is not a despairing desire for death. The key to understanding Job's lament is the reality that Job's suffering has made him...
-
Job 2:1-13: Receiving Good and Evil from God
The scene in the heavenly council from Job 1 replays in Job 2. The LORD again taunts Satan with the righteousness of Job, yet Satan challenges God once again. Job's own health remains, the accuser says. God keeps Satan on a leash, refusing to let the accuser kill Job even as he strikes the...
-
Job 1:6-22: Does Man Fear God for No Reason?
The backstory for Job is found in God's heavenly council. There, God taunts Satan that Job is a righteous man. Satan challenges God, however, claiming that Job only fears God because of all the things God has given. God allows Satan to take away Job's possessions and family. The news of one...
-
Job 1:1-5: Is Job God's Enemy?
The book of Job is wisdom literature, in which God's Word helps us to wrestle with important questions of faith and life. Job's great suffering leads to a debate between him and his friends, which is finally concluded by the thundering and authoritative voice of God. As the book of Job begins…
more -
NEW SERIES: There Is a Redeemer
“There Is a Redeemer” is a series on Sharper Iron that studies the book of Job. The suffering of Job raises important questions. Does man fear God for no reason? Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil? Who can be an arbiter for man? As this book of wisdom literature…
more -
Matthew 28:11-20: To All Nations
When the guards give their report of events at Jesus’ tomb, the Sanhedrin bribes them to say that the disciples stole Jesus’ body. Their lie has sent this false gospel into the world still today. Nonetheless, Jesus has a true Gospel to send into all the world. He gathers His disciples to Himself…
more -
Matthew 28:1-10: The Victory Remained with Life
At dawn of the first day of the week, the third day since Jesus had died, the two Marys went to see Jesus’ tomb. They expected Jesus would be dead, despite Jesus’ promise. A divine earthquake and a heavenly angel interrupted their expectations. The only dead men at Jesus’ tomb were the guards...
-
Matthew 27:57-66: Christ Jesus Lay in Death’s Strong Bands
Joseph of Arimathea uses his wealth in service to the Lord by providing a tomb for Jesus. Through Joseph, God fulfills the Word He spoke through Isaiah. From an earthly perspective, things look final. Joseph and the women who witness Jesus’ burial act on the belief that Jesus will remain dead....
-
Matthew 27:51-56: A Strange and Dreadful Strife
The signs accompanying Jesus’ death provide God’s testimony for the victory that He has won. The tearing of the temple curtain showed that the once-for-all sacrifice has been made by Jesus so that He is our true and only Mediator before God. The earthquake showed the reality of God’s judgment and...
-
Matthew 27:45-50: O Darkest Woe!
For three hours, miraculous darkness covers the land as Judgment Day comes upon Jesus on the cross. He experiences the suffering of hell as the Father forsakes Him. Nonetheless, as Jesus prays Psalm 22, He does so not in despair but trusting in His Father’s will. As the crowds continue to doubt…
more -
Matthew 27:27-44: O Sacred Head, Now Wounded
Pilate’s soldiers treat Jesus with cruel mockery. Even though they do not believe He is a King, Jesus truly reigns as He is crowned with thorns and enthroned on His cross. Through the suffering of Christ, the eyes of faith see the glory of God to win our salvation. Jesus refuses to come down from...
-
Matthew 27:11-26: His Blood Be on Us
As Pilate examines Jesus for guilt, the governor is amazed at the Lord’s silence to His accusers. Pilate attempts to use his custom of releasing a prisoner at the Passover to release Jesus. The dream given to Pilate’s wife reveals that Jesus truly is innocent, yet Pilate’s passive plan backfires…
more -
Matthew 26:69-27:10: Peter’s Denial and Judas’ Despair
Although Peter follows Jesus at a distance, Peter’s threefold denial of Jesus happens just as the Lord had foretold. With growing vehemence, Peter refuses to acknowledge any connection to Jesus, until the rooster crows after the third time. Peter recalls Jesus’ words, and the apostle leaves with...
-
Matthew 26:57-68: Who Is Really on Trial?
As the Sanhedrin meets in the darkness, they have already determined a guilty verdict for Jesus, regardless of the evidence. Their initial inability to find even false witnesses to agree on an accusation against Jesus shows their corruption and evil. When two witnesses do agree on something close...
-
Matthew 26:47-56: The Betrayer’s Kiss
Just as Jesus said, one of His own twelve disciples delivers Him into the hands of those who desire to kill Him. In an awful irony, Judas uses a sign of greatest affection for the deepest betrayal. Although divine deliverance is only a prayer away for Jesus, He goes to His arrest willingly. He...
-
Matthew 26:30-46: Thy Will Be Done
Jesus heads to the Mount of Olives with singing. There, He forthrightly tells His disciples what is about to happen to Him and to them, all in fulfillment of the Scriptures. In Gethsemane, Jesus prays to His Father knowing exactly what He is about to face, yet He does so in obedience to the...
-
Matthew 26:17-29: Jesus’ Passover
Jesus observes His Passover with His family. He instructs His disciples to make the necessary preparations for the meal that He will bring to fulfillment. As He eats with His disciples, Jesus tells His disciples that one of them will hand Him over. Judas’ own words reveal him as the betrayer....
-
Matthew 26:1-16: The Beauty and Value of Jesus' Passion
Jesus continues to move resolutely toward His crucifixion. Although the chief priests and elders believe they are accomplishing their plan, Jesus' suffering and death is truly the Father's will for the salvation of sinners. A woman who anoints Jesus with expensive ointment receives scorn from the...
-
Matthew 25:31-46: Sheep and Goats
Jesus concludes His Olivette Discourse by describing His coming again in glory on the Last Day as a shepherd who separates sheep from goats. The sheep are His righteous ones. They are righteous because they have been blessed by the Father from the foundation of the world, and that righteousness…
more -
Matthew 25:14-30: The Faithful Stewardship of God's Gifts
Jesus' parable of the talents teaches His people how to live faithfully now awaiting His return. God gives to His children according to their ability. Because His gifts come from His love, the proper response is to put those gifts to work in faithfulness to God, knowing that He is our loving…
more -
Matthew 25:1-13: With Bridal Care Yourselves Prepare
Jesus tells a parable that illustrates what it means for His Church to always watch for the unknown day and hour of His return. He tells a story of ten virgins whose role is to greet the bridegroom's arrival. Five are wise by having oil to keep their lamps lit when the bridegroom arrives later…
more -
Matthew 24:36-51: No One Knows the Day—So Watch!
After answering the disciples' first question concerning the destruction of Jerusalem, Jesus now turns to answer the disciples' second question concerning His coming in glory. Jesus is direct. No one knows the day or the hour. Those who attempt to predict the date reveal themselves to be false...
-
Matthew 24:23-35: It's Not the End of the World as We Know It Yet
Jesus reiterates the importance of watching out for false teachers in the days leading up to the fall of Jerusalem. No false teacher will be needed to add to anything Jesus has said concerning the imminence of the temple's destruction. Jesus describes those days surrounding Jerusalem's fall with...
-
Matthew 24:3-22: Wars and Famines and Earthquakes—Oh My!
The disciples ask Jesus two questions that prompt His last great discourse in the Gospel according to St. Matthew. They want to know when Jerusalem will be destroyed, and they want to know what sign will announce His second coming. Jesus answers both questions in order, careful not to allow the...
-
Matthew 23:37-24:2: What Jesus Wanted, Jerusalem Didn't
Jesus speaks Jerusalem's name twice with love and sadness, for its reputation has not lived up to its name. Instead of being the city of peace, Jerusalem has been the city that kills the prophets, and the same is about to happen again to Jesus. Even though His will was to gather Jerusalem into…
more -
Matthew 23:25-36: Whoa—Woe! (Part 2)
Jesus continues to speak woe to the scribes and Pharisees. Their hypocrisy is evident in their concern for outwardly upright behavior while being inwardly wicked due to their rejection of God's Word and His Son, Jesus. As the fathers of the scribes and Pharisees murdered the prophets, so now the...
-
Matthew 23:13-24: Whoa—Woe! (Part 1)
Jesus speaks woe repeatedly to the scribes and Pharisees for their hypocrisy of claiming to know the Scriptures but refusing to believe in Him. When they spread their teaching, they only evangelize others for hell. Their hypocrisy blinds them to the truth of the temple as the house of God who...
-
Matthew 23:1-12: He Scatters the Proud
Having answered His enemies’ temptations three times now, Jesus takes the offensive during Holy Week. He warns the crowds and His disciples against the scribes and Pharisees. Although they rightly read the Word of God, which must be obeyed, their preaching and their practice are full of deceit…
more -
Matthew 22:34-46: The Law and the Prophets Proclaim the Christ
The Pharisees try to tempt Jesus one more time by sending a lawyer from among them to ask about the greatest commandment in the Law. Jesus responds by refusing to separate the two tables of the Law from each other. The love of God and the love of neighbor go hand-in-hand. Even more than that, the...
-
Matthew 22:23-33: Without the Resurrection, You’re Sad, You See
The Sadducees take their turn at trying to trap Jesus by presenting a story that pits the resurrection against levirate marriage. Because of the lawfulness of all the marriages presented in their case study, they are sure they have proved the resurrection to be ludicrous. Jesus tells them…
more -
Matthew 22:15-22: Render to Caesar? Sure. Render to God? Absolutely!
The Pharisees and Herodians form an unlikely alliance during Holy Week in an effort to trap Jesus. They believe they have Him cornered with a question about the lawfulness of paying taxes to the Roman government. Jesus lures them into their own trap as they bring out a coin for the tax and admit...
-
Matthew 22:1-14: Everything Is Ready; Come to the Feast!
Jesus tells yet a third parable to the religious leaders during Holy Week; this time He compares God’s reign in the world to a King who hosts a wedding feast for His Son. The religious leaders have made every excuse not to come to Jesus in faith, and they are preparing to kill Him as they have...
-
Matthew 21:33-46: The Cornerstone of the Vineyard is Marvelous
Jesus tells the religious leaders another parable set in a vineyard, drawing from the imagery of Isaiah 5. Like the tenants in the parable, the religious leaders have not produced the fruit God required, and they have instead mistreated God’s servants, the prophets. Now, they are on the verge of...
-
Matthew 21:23-32: The Question of Authority
As Jesus continues teaching in the temple in Holy Week, the religious leaders demand that Jesus state His authority for acting and speaking in the manner He does. Marvelously evading their trap, Jesus sets a trap of His own as He asks about the source of John’s baptism. When the religious leaders...
-
Matthew 21:12-22: Turned Tables and Fruitless Figs
Upon entering Jerusalem, Jesus goes to the temple, where He overturns tables and drives out moneychangers. What should have been Jesus’ house of prayer has become a den of robbers, stealing the mercy of God from His people. The blind and the lame come to Jesus to receive mercy from Him, despite…
more
About this show
Sharper Iron, hosted by Rev. Timothy Appel, looks at the text of Holy Scripture both in its broad context and its narrow detail, all for the sake of proclaiming Christ crucified and risen for sinners. Two pastors engage with God’s Word to sharpen not only their own faith and knowledge, but the faith and knowledge of all who listen.Sharper Iron is underwritten by Lutheran Church Extension Fund, where your investments help support the work of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. Visit lcef.org.
Hosted by
KFUO Radio
Categories