Sharper Iron From Kfuo Radio

Rev. Peter Ill, pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church in Millstadt, IL, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Ezekiel 20:1-26. Five years before the destruction of the temple, some of the elders of Israel come to Ezekiel to inquire of the LORD. In response, the LORD instructs Ezekiel to recite the history of the abominations of their fathers. Each cycle includes the LORD’s promise, the people’s rebellion, the LORD’s decision to pour out His wrath, and the LORD’s restraining of His anger for the sake of His name. The LORD traces the history of the people from their slavery in Egypt to their time at Mount Sinai into the wilderness wandering. At each time, the LORD called His people away from their worthless idols and promised to be their God. Each time, the people clung to their worthless idols all the more. It was only the LORD’s faithfulness to His character and His promises that kept Him from making a complete end of His people. Even as He brought varying degrees of judgment upon His people, He did so that the

Rev. Brian Flamme, pastor at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Roswell, NM, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Ezekiel 19:1-14. The LORD gives Ezekiel a lament for the princes of Israel; these wicked men do not deserve the title of king. The lament uses the images of a lion and a vine, both drawn from Jacob’s blessing to Judah in Genesis 49. The two lion cubs picture Jehoahaz and Jehoiachin, two wicked kings of Judah; the vine pictures the final kings of Judah more generally. Through their idolatrous rejection of the LORD’s Word, they proved the sharpest of contrasts with what the LORD desired for His kings. Because of their wickedness, the LORD’s judgment would fall upon them and the people of Judah. Yet the use of the imagery from Genesis 49 is a reminder that the LORD will not nullify His promise to send the Messiah. The true lion from the tribe of Judah and the living vine, Jesus Christ, has come as the promised Savior who rules His people in an everlasting kingdom of grace. “The Faithful Watchman” is a

Rev. Joel Heckmann, pastor at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Okarche, OK, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Ezekiel 18:1-32. The LORD upholds His justice and righteousness in the face of His people’s false accusations against Him. He does not punish the wrong generation; the one who sins is the one who dies. From one generation to the next, the LORD causes His Word to be proclaimed to fathers, sons, and grandsons. Those who hear it in Holy Spirit-given faith are accounted righteous in His sight; those who reject it of their own wicked choice are condemned as wicked in His sight. This is also true throughout an individual’s life. The wicked man should not despair that there is no hope; instead, he should hear the Word of God, repent, believe, and live. The righteous man should not become complacent and fall from righteousness; he too should hear the Word of God, repent, believe, and live. This life is what the LORD desires for all people; this life is what He freely gives through Jesus. “The Faithful Wa

Rev. Nate Hill, pastor at St. Michael’s Lutheran Church in Winchester, TX, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Ezekiel 17:1-24. The LORD gives Ezekiel an allegory that recites the recent history of the kings of Judah. The first great eagle breaks off the top of a cedar and plants a seed in its place. This is a picture of Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon carrying King Jehoiachin of Judah into exile and replacing him with Zedekiah. The seed grows into a low spreading vine that eventually turns toward a second great eagle. This is a picture of Zedekiah’s foolish attempt to ally with Egypt for help against Babylon. As the LORD explains the allegory through Ezekiel, He makes it plain that Zedekiah’s rebellion against Babylon was actually rebellion against Him, and the LORD promises judgment for Zedekiah. However, the LORD is not done with His people. He promises that He Himself will fulfill His promise of bringing the Christ into the world. He will be the source of life for people from every nation. Jesus is the fu

Rev. Tim Koch, pastor at Emanuel Lutheran Church in Milbank, SD, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Ezekiel 16:35-63. The LORD has exposed His people as an unfaithful bride; now He speaks judgment upon His people for their adulterous idolatry. He will show Judah and Jerusalem how worthless their idols really are. Not only will the LORD expose His people’s “lovers” as enemies, but He will show them what it means to make Him as an enemy as He satisfies His wrath against them. Though Jerusalem thought herself better than Samaria to the north and Sodom to the south, in reality, the sins of Judah have made these two notoriously sinful places look righteous. Their comparisons to each other serve no purpose; they all stand condemned before the LORD. Yet out of His grace, He turns to them in mercy. The LORD shows Himself to be faithful to the covenant that His people broke; He promises to restore them and to atone for all they have done. He fulfills this promise by satisfying His wrath against sin in the cross o

Rev. Clint Poppe, pastor at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Lincoln, NE, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Ezekiel 16:1-34. Ezekiel begins an extended sermon that centers around the image of marriage to describe the history of the LORD’s interactions with His people Israel. Israel had no reason for anyone to desire it; in fact, every nation abandoned Israel as worthless. Yet the LORD in His grace saw Israel and made her His own. He nurtured her and committed Himself to her as her husband. He lavished every gift upon her, particularly in His saving presence in the tabernacle. Yet Israel took the LORD’s gifts and used them in utter wickedness. With shocking language, Ezekiel describes the whoredom of the people of Israel with false gods and foreign nations. Their sin and idolatry was absolutely disgusting, yet Israel was never satisfied. Such vivid language shocks us to our senses to see how revolting sin truly is, so that we would turn in repentance to Jesus, who remains our gracious and faithful Brideg

Rev. Sean Kilgo, pastor at Redeemer Lutheran Church in Lawrence, KS, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Ezekiel 15:1-8. Ezekiel’s sermon in this chapter is based on the familiar image of Israel as the LORD’s vineyard. He had done absolutely everything for His people by His grace, yet they had not produced the fruit of repentance that He had desired. What good is such a grape vine? The wood cannot be used to build anything; it can only be burned. That was the judgment that awaited the people of Jerusalem. The LORD would send the Babylonians to destroy the city as a judgment against their faithlessness and as a call to repentance for the people already in exile. Jesus brings this same image to mind in John 15 when He calls Himself the true vine. Where Israel had failed, Jesus did not. By His death and resurrection, He is the true source of life. All who are connected to Him by God’s grace bear the fruit of good works that He has prepared for them to do. “The Faithful Watchman” is a mini-series on Sharper

Rev. Stephen Preus, pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church in Vinton, IA, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Ezekiel 14:1-23. When certain elders of Israel appear before Ezekiel to ask him a question, the LORD reveals to His prophet the true intentions of their hearts. These men are idolaters at heart; therefore, they deserve and should not expect any answer from the LORD. Yet the LORD does speak to them through His prophet; He gives them a word that speaks judgment against their idolatry and calls them to repentance. He will have His people know that He is the LORD; He will even use deceptive prophets to His end to bring His people back to Himself. His people must know that Jerusalem will be destroyed; even the presence of three of the greatest Old Testament saints will not save the city. The LORD will prove Himself just in His actions toward Jerusalem. This serves as another call to the people to know the LORD and to return to Him in true repentance and faith before it is too late. “The Faithful Watc

Rev. David Appold, pastor at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Paducah, KY, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Ezekiel 13:1-23. False prophets plague the people of God even in exile in Babylon. These false prophets are not preaching in the name of an idol. Instead, they are preaching in the name of the LORD, but they are preaching their own lying ideas rather than the truth of His Word. Their lies give the people a false sense of comfort and security. The false prophets say that there will be peace for the people of Judah apart from any repentance. They are simply whitewashing a flimsy wall that the LORD will destroy. Some women are even selling bracelets that they claim offer protection against the LORD’s wrath. Not only do they make sinners secure in their sins, but they also add unnecessary weights to the righteous. The LORD will not long tolerate such blasphemous use of His name. He promises destruction for such false prophets. To know that the LORD will see to the truth of His Word being proclaimed brin

Rev. Dr. Adam Koontz, assistant professor of exegetical theology at Concordia Theological Seminary in Ft. Wayne, IN, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Ezekiel 12:1-28. Ezekiel is given two more action prophecies. First, he packs his bags and digs through a wall in order to portray the coming exile of the people of Jerusalem. This will affect even King Zedekiah, whom Ezekiel refuses to acknowledge as the legitimate successor to David’s throne. Second, Ezekiel eats his bread and drinks his water with fear and anxiety, another reminder of the certainty of the disaster the LORD is bringing upon His people. The LORD wants His people to know that this disaster will happen so that they will know that He is the LORD, the One who performs His Word. Though the people even in exile harbor their doubts about Ezekiel’s preaching, the LORD proclaims that He will speak His Word and He will do what He has said without delay. This truth concerning the LORD’s Word calls us to repentance and faith right now, for today is

Rev. Dr. Adam Filipek, pastor at Holy Cross and Immanuel Lutheran Churches in Lidgerwood, ND, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Ezekiel 11:1-25. Ezekiel’s vision of events in Jerusalem concludes. He hears the wicked leaders in Jerusalem claim that they are safe in Jerusalem as the cream of God’s crop. The LORD turns their slogan upside down and promises that they will fall by the sword that they have feared. When Ezekiel sees one of these leaders die in the midst of his vision, he cries out with an intercessory heart, asking about the remnant. The LORD responds with one of the clearest proclamations of the Gospel thus far in Ezekiel. He promises that He will be the sanctuary for His people even in exile. He will give them a new spirit and an undivided, living heart so that they will be His people and He will be their God. The hope of this promise remains even as Ezekiel sees the glory of the LORD leave the Temple entirely and come to rest on the Mount of Olives. Jesus’ journey into Jerusalem for His dea

Rev. Gaven Mize, pastor at Augustana Evangelical Lutheran Church in Hickory, NC, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Ezekiel 10:1-22. Ezekiel again sees the four living creatures and now recognizes that they are cherubim. They are bearing the throne of the LORD as Ezekiel sees the glory of the LORD move farther away from the Holy of Holies. The LORD’s self-imposed exile from His temple, combined with His instruction to the man clothed in linen to scatter burning coals over Jerusalem, is a sign of judgment against the blatant idolatry practiced by His people. At the same time, the movement of the glory of the LORD from a building in Jerusalem points forward to the glory of the LORD revealed in the incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ. As He comes to be present among His people in Word and Sacrament still today, we see His glory and share in the beautiful vision of Ezekiel. “The Faithful Watchman” is a mini-series on Sharper Iron that goes through the book of Ezekiel. Just when Ezekiel should have begun h

Rev. Caleb Adams, pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church in Bend, OR, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Ezekiel 9:1-11. Ezekiel’s vision of events in Jerusalem continues. He sees the beginning of the LORD’s departure from His own house. Though the LORD will not hear the cries of His people, He still cries out to Ezekiel concerning the executioners who are coming into Jerusalem. These six figures are likely angels. They come from the north, the normal direction of the enemies of God’s people, in order to bring destruction upon the city. The seventh figure is different; this one is clothed in linen and carries a writing case. Though he too is likely an angel, he is given a task that points us clearly to Christ. The LORD instructs the man clothed in linen to mark the faithful people of God with the Hebrew letter “tau,” which would have looked very similar to a cross. Those who bear this mark are spared the destruction from the six executioners, who go into the city with no pity. When Ezekiel wonders if the LORD

Rev. Andy Wright, pastor at St. John Lutheran Church in Keystone, IA, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Ezekiel 8:1-18. Fourteen months after Ezekiel’s call to be a prophet, he has come to be known as a prophet among the exiles. He receives another vision from God, in which the LORD gives Ezekiel a glimpse into the wickedness happening in the temple in Jerusalem. The prophet sees four abominations that increase in evil. The north gate stands open to Canaanite idolatry, and an image of jealousy stands opposed to the glory of God. Seventy elders are usurping the priestly roles and worshiping images of creatures in the dark, fooling themselves that the LORD will not see them. Women are engaged in Babylonian idol worship. Even the priests have turned their backs on the LORD in order to worship the sun. The LORD’s judgment is rightly harsh; He will visit His people with His wrath and will not hear their cries for pity. “The Faithful Watchman” is a mini-series on Sharper Iron that goes through the book of E

Rev. Andrew Preus, pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church in New Haven, MO, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Ezekiel 7:1-27. Ezekiel preaches with great urgency concerning the coming judgment of the LORD. He will bring the end upon His people; He will visit them with His disaster. His day is coming quickly; His appointed time has come. The people of Judah have forsaken the way of the LORD and turned to the way of idolatry, and so He will bring His anger upon them. No amount of wealth will save when the time comes; the LORD will punish His people for using His holy things for idolatrous worship. The word of the prophet will be silenced, and the law will perish from the priest, and the people will know that the LORD is God. Such words of condemnation calls the people of God to repentance and to seek refuge in the Savior, Jesus, whom the LORD has struck with His wrath in our place. “The Faithful Watchman” is a mini-series on Sharper Iron that goes through the book of Ezekiel. Just when Ezekiel should have be

Rev. John Bussman, pastor at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Cullman, AL, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Ezekiel 6:1-14. In the plains of Babylon, memories of the mountains of Israel brought yearning memories to mind for the exiles. Yet Ezekiel is told to preach against the mountains of Israel, for these high places were often the site of idolatrous worship. The prophet speaks with biting sarcasm concerning these idols, referring to them as excrement. Those who trust in such worthlessness will find themselves slain along with their powerless idols. Whether by sword, famine, or pestilence, the LORD will execute His judgment upon His people, and their idols will show themselves entirely unable to rescue from death. Yet the LORD once again promises that He will keep for Himself a remnant. He will bring all of this about so that people will know that He is the LORD, the only true God. “The Faithful Watchman” is a mini-series on Sharper Iron that goes through the book of Ezekiel. Just when Ezekiel should

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 Ezekiel 5:1-17. Priests were not to cut their hair, and yet the LORD tells Ezekiel to do precisely that as a part of another action prophecy. Each third of the prophet’s hair showed forth what would happen to the people of Jerusalem in the upcoming destruction of the city. A third of the people would die by pestilence and famine in the city, a third of the people would die by the sword in the city, and a third of the people would be scattered only to die by the sword later. This was the LORD’s judgment against His people because of the blatant idolatry of Judah; they had been even more wicked than the pagan nations around them. In the midst of the LORD’s scathing condemnation of His people, He does speak one promise. A few strands of Ezekiel’s hair are tucked into his robe; this is a reminder that the LORD will spare His faithful remnant according to His Word. “Th

Rev. Steve Andrews, pastor at St. Matthew Lutheran Church in Lee’s Summit, MO, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Ezekiel 4:1-17. The LORD gives Ezekiel an action prophecy in order to preach to His people concerning the coming siege and destruction of Jerusalem. First, Ezekiel is to build a model of Jerusalem under siege and then lie on his sides for designated periods of time. Second, Ezekiel is to eat and drink a strictly rationed diet of bread and water for the duration of this action prophecy. Though some details are difficult to pinpoint precisely, the picture of Ezekiel’s prophecy remains plain. The LORD wants His people to know that Jerusalem will fall; the exile of God’s people will not come to a quick end as false prophets claimed. The conditions for the people in Jerusalem during the siege will be absolutely horrific. The LORD is the One bringing this destruction about because of the sin of His own people against Him. With such preaching clear, the people must ask: “Where is our hope?” Ezekiel’

Rev. Matt Ulmer, pastor at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Bishop, TX, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Ezekiel 3:12-27. The Spirit of the LORD lifts Ezekiel away and transports him to the exiles at Tel-abib. Ezekiel’s bitterness and anger may indicate his recognition of the difficult task that is ahead of him and his sharing of the LORD’s anger against the sin of Israel. His seven day time of being overwhelmed may be indicative of the seven day period during a priest’s ordination. At the end of seven days, the LORD characterizes Ezekiel’s prophetic ministry as being a watchman. A watchman must cry out, and a watchman must do so faithfully. Ezekiel must speak up to warn the people in exile to repent, and he must do so faithfully. As the LORD begins to give Ezekiel His Word to proclaim, He does so in seemingly strange ways. He silences Ezekiel so that the prophet is mute--except when the prophet has the Word of God to speak. In the same way, pastors today must proclaim only the Word of God, and those who he

Rev. Mark Squire, pastor at Immanuel Lutheran Church in St. Ansgar, IA, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Ezekiel 2:1-3:11. Seeing the glory of the LORD left Ezekiel fallen on his face; now the LORD speaks to Ezekiel, and the Spirit lifts the prophet to his feet. By addressing Ezekiel as “son of man,” the LORD emphasizes both the prophet’s humanity and the LORD’s own status as God over all. The LORD calls Ezekiel to be a prophet to the rebellious house of Israel. They have not listened to the LORD in the past, and Ezekiel should not expect that to change all that much. Yet the LORD strengthens His prophet for the task of speaking His Word faithfully in the face of such opposition. He gives Ezekiel His Word to eat, and He hardens Ezekiel’s face to preach His Word. Ezekiel’s success will only be found in his faithfulness. “The Faithful Watchman” is a mini-series on Sharper Iron that goes through the book of Ezekiel. Just when Ezekiel should have begun his service as priest in the temple in Jerusalem, th