Sharper Iron — The Day Is Surely Drawing Near: The Final Judgment

Rev. Ryan Ogrodowicz, associate pastor and headmaster at Grace Lutheran Church and School in Brenham, TX, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Amos 9:7-10.

Israel is in a lot of trouble, to put it lightly. The LORD is about to bring them down from the high pedestal they think they occupy. Though the Exodus was His salvation for His people, the LORD reminds them that He is the Creator and Sustainer of all the nations, even their enemies. There is no room for false security and pride on their part. They have revealed themselves as the sinful kingdom, which the LORD will destroy in all of its outward forms. Yet the LORD preserves for Himself a remnant of the house of Jacob for the sake of His promises made to the patriarchs. He will shake His people through a sieve; those who have trusted in Him for salvation will be spared eternally, even if they go through destruction now. The end for those members of His people who have persisted in terrible, unrepentant sin against God and neighbor, however, will be quite different. They will die by the sword. Such preaching drives us to Christ. In Him, we hear the preaching of the Law for our repentance so that we would cling to Him alone in faith. His death and resurrection have freely given us a spot in the Church, the true remnant of the house of Jacob.

“The Day Is Surely Drawing Near” is a mini-series on Sharper Iron that digs into the book of Amos. This Old Testament prophet speaks the LORD’s roaring Word in order to call us first to repentance over our idolatry and injustice and second to faith in the Messiah in the line of David, Jesus Christ. Only through faith in Him will we stand forgiven and redeemed on the coming Day of the LORD.

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.

Amos 9:7-10

⁷“Are you not like the Cushites to me,
    O people of Israel?” declares the Lord.
“Did I not bring up Israel from the land of Egypt,
    and the Philistines from Caphtor and the Syrians from Kir?
⁸Behold, the eyes of the Lord God are upon the sinful kingdom,
    and I will destroy it from the surface of the ground,
    except that I will not utterly destroy the house of Jacob,”
declares the Lord.

⁹“For behold, I will command,
    and shake the house of Israel among all the nations
as one shakes with a sieve,
    but no pebble shall fall to the earth.
¹⁰All the sinners of my people shall die by the sword,
    who say, ‘Disaster shall not overtake or meet us.’

English Standard Version (ESV)

Rev. Timothy Appel

Although a mathematics degree may not be incredibly helpful to (proudly born-and-raised Texan) Rev. Timothy Appel while hosting Sharper Iron, his love of CFW Walther and the season of Easter will come in handy. His Call is shepherding the flock at Faith Lutheran Church in Godfrey, Illinois, and he’s also husband to wife Kristin and dad to their growing basketball team of children. When he’s not carrying out pastoral duties, you may find him reading “The Lord of the Rings,” snacking on Reese’s peanut butter cups, playing dominoes with his boys, or studying up on Texas history (including Sam Houston, of course).