Serving Jesus Christ

Pastor Warren Swanson

Serving Jesus Christ is the podcast site of Pastor Warren Swanson of Our Savior's Free Lutheran in Argyle, MN. It includes a Daily Devotional and a Sermon Podcast.

  1. Sep 5

    September 6, 2026 Sermon - What Is Sin?

    This Sunday's Inspirational Message is: What Is Sin? Last week, I shared on the Holiness of God. When we truly see God as holy, three things happen. It humbles us. It cleanses us. And it sends us. The holiness of God is not a threat to be feared from a distance. It is a reality that, when truly seen, humbles us, cleanses us, and sends us out to serve Him. Today we're tackling a subject that, honestly, most of us would rather skip. We're talking about sin. Not in some abstract, theological, ivory-tower kind of way. We're talking about why sin matters - why it's serious - and why so many of us, myself included, have quietly stopped treating it that way. You know what? I think most of us have a sin or two we've made peace with. A habit. A grudge. A pattern of thought. Something we've stopped fighting because, honestly, fighting is exhausting. We've made a truce with it. We've decided it's not that big a deal. But here's the thing - God never made that truce. And today, from Isaiah chapter fifty-nine, we're going to look honestly at what sin actually does, why God takes it so seriously, and why we should too. This isn't going to be a guilt trip. I promise you that. It's going to be an honest look in the mirror, and then - thank God - a look at the cross, where sin was dealt with once and for all.s.  * * * * * Once again, thanks for joining us in our time of worshiping the Lord through His Word! If you enjoyed this episode and want to help support this ministry, please share it with others and post about it on social media. "Scripture quotations taken from the Holy Bible: New American Standard Bible. 1995. LaHabra, CA: The Lockman Foundation. The music "Revive Us Again" and "Be Thou My Vision" arranged and played by Don Wigton. Used by Permission.

  2. Aug 28

    August 30, 2026 Sermon - The Holiness of God

    This Sunday's Inspirational Message is: The Holiness of God! Today we're wading into deep water. We're talking about the holiness of God. Now, I know that phrase can sound like something out of a dusty old textbook. Honestly, it might make you want to change the channel. But stay with me, because this is not a topic for theologians locked away in libraries. This is a topic for farmers and nurses and truck drivers and tired moms and every single one of us who has ever wondered, "What is God really like?" We're going to open the book of the prophet Isaiah, chapter six, and stand with him in the temple on the day everything changed for him. A king had just died. The nation was uncertain. And in the middle of that uncertainty, Isaiah saw something that no comfortable religion ever prepares you for. He saw God as He actually is. Holy. Set apart. Other. Here is where we are headed. When we truly see God as holy, three things happen. It humbles us. It cleanses us. And it sends us.  * * * * * Once again, thanks for joining us in our time of worshiping the Lord through His Word! If you enjoyed this episode and want to help support this ministry, please share it with others and post about it on social media. "Scripture quotations taken from the Holy Bible: New American Standard Bible. 1995. LaHabra, CA: The Lockman Foundation. The music "Revive Us Again" and "Be Thou My Vision" arranged and played by Don Wigton. Used by Permission.

  3. Aug 8

    August 9, 2026 Sermon - Where Were You?

    This Sunday's Inspirational Message is: Where Were You? Today we're opening up one of the toughest, most honest books in the whole Bible — the book of Job. And we're landing right in the middle of the storm, in Job chapter 38, where God finally speaks after Job has waited, and waited, and waited for an answer to one question: why? Here's the thing. God never actually answers that question. Not directly. Instead, God asks Job seventy-some questions of His own — about mountains and oceans, about sunrises and starlight, about things Job never made and never could make. And by the end, Job doesn't get an explanation. He gets something better. He gets a clearer look at who God is. You know what? That's exactly what most of us need too. We want the why. God usually gives us the who. And once you see who He really is — the God who laid the foundation of the earth, who tells the ocean where to stop, who calls up the dawn every single morning — the why starts to matter a whole lot less. In today's message, "Where Were You? Trusting the God Who Built the World," we'll walk through Job 38:4-18 together. We'll talk about what it means to trust a God whose plans are bigger than our understanding, and we'll land on some real, practical ways to hold onto that trust when life doesn't make sense. * * * * * Once again, thanks for joining us in our time of worshiping the Lord through His Word! If you enjoyed this episode and want to help support this ministry, please share it with others and post about it on social media. "Scripture quotations taken from the Holy Bible: New American Standard Bible. 1995. LaHabra, CA: The Lockman Foundation. The music "Revive Us Again" and "Be Thou My Vision" arranged and played by Don Wigton. Used by Permission.

  4. Aug 1

    August 2, 2026 Sermon - More Than Enough

    This Sunday's Inspirational Message is: More Than Enough Today we're stepping into one of the most familiar stories in all four Gospels — the day Jesus fed five thousand men, plus women and children, with a boy's sack lunch. We'll look at Matthew 14:13-21, and I want to tell you up front: this isn't just a story about a miracle. It's a story about what Jesus does with people who feel like they don't have enough. Not enough energy. Not enough resources. Not enough talent, or time, or strength to meet the need in front of them. Sound familiar? It should. Because most of us feel that way more often than we'd like to admit. In today's message, "More Than Enough," we'll walk through three simple truths. First, that Jesus' compassion doesn't take a day off, even when He's exhausted and grieving. Second, that Jesus is never intimidated by our inadequate math — five loaves and two fish were never going to be the point. And third, that Jesus hands the miracle back to ordinary people to distribute, which means you and I are still part of how He feeds a hungry world today. * * * * * Once again, thanks for joining us in our time of worshiping the Lord through His Word! If you enjoyed this episode and want to help support this ministry, please share it with others and post about it on social media. "Scripture quotations taken from the Holy Bible: New American Standard Bible. 1995. LaHabra, CA: The Lockman Foundation. The music "Revive Us Again" and "Be Thou My Vision" arranged and played by Don Wigton. Used by Permission.

  5. Jul 17

    July 19, 2026 Sermon - Two Kinds Of Seed

    This Sunday's Inspirational Message is: Two Kinds Of Seed Last week, we sat together in Matthew chapter thirteen and looked at the Parable of the Sower, the story Jesus told about a farmer scattering seed on four different kinds of soil. Today, we're staying right there in Matthew thirteen, but we're moving on to another parable. And this time, we get something special. We get to listen in as Jesus sits down privately with His disciples and explains, piece by piece, exactly what one of His parables means. This is the Parable of the Weeds, sometimes called the Parable of the Tares, and in today's passage, Matthew 13:36 through 43, Jesus breaks it wide open for us. He tells us who the farmer is, who the good seed is, who the weeds are, who the enemy is, and what is going to happen at the end of it all. Honestly, there are not many places in Scripture where Jesus hands us this much detail so plainly, so we want to slow down and take it seriously. Here is what you can expect today. We are going to look at three things: the explanation Jesus gives, the judgment Jesus promises, and the glory Jesus guarantees for His people. By the end, my hope is that you will walk away with a settled confidence, that God sees clearly what we cannot, that He is patient for good reason, and that the harvest is coming. * * * * * Once again, thanks for joining us in our time of worshiping the Lord through His Word! If you enjoyed this episode and want to help support this ministry, please share it with others and post about it on social media. "Scripture quotations taken from the Holy Bible: New American Standard Bible. 1995. LaHabra, CA: The Lockman Foundation. The music "Revive Us Again" and "Be Thou My Vision" arranged and played by Don Wigton. Used by Permission.

About

Serving Jesus Christ is the podcast site of Pastor Warren Swanson of Our Savior's Free Lutheran in Argyle, MN. It includes a Daily Devotional and a Sermon Podcast.