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. 4d ago

    November 8, 2026 Sermon - Planted, Not Buried

    Today we're talking about something every one of us will face. Death. Honestly, most of us would rather not talk about it. But you know what? God does talk about it. And He talks about it with hope. Our text is 1 Thessalonians 4:13–18. It's only six verses. But those six verses have been read beside more graves than almost any other passage in the Bible. And for good reason. They're full of hope. Here's what we'll see. First, we grieve, but we grieve with hope. Christians cry. Jesus cried. But our tears have a floor under them. Second, Jesus is coming back, and the dead in Christ will rise first. The believers we've buried aren't forgotten. They're first in line. Third, we will be together with the Lord forever. So we comfort one another with these words. Let me give you a few things to do as you listen. Think of someone you love who has died in the Lord. Hold their name in your heart. Then think of someone who is grieving right now. Ask God how you might bring them comfort this week. And ask yourself one honest question. If Jesus came back today, would I be ready? Honestly, that's the question that matters most. * * * * * 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. Oct 2

    October 4, 2026 Sermon - The Best Trade

    This Sunday's Inspirational Message is: The Best Trade Let me start with a question. Suppose you sat down at the kitchen table tonight and drew two columns on a sheet of paper. One says "gain." The other says "loss." What would you put where? Your job? Your savings? Your good name? Your good works? Your years of church attendance? Here's the thing. The Apostle Paul did that very exercise. He sat down with his whole life. His family tree. His religious record. His education. His zeal. His spotless reputation. And he moved every single item out of the gain column and into the loss column. Every one. Why would a man do that? Was he being dramatic? Was he throwing his life away? No. He found something worth more than all of it put together. He found Jesus Christ. In today's message we're walking through Philippians chapter 3, verses 8 through 11. It's one of the richest passages in all of Paul's letters. In just four verses, Paul tells us three wonderful things. He tells us why knowing Christ is worth more than anything this world can offer. He tells us how a sinner can stand before a holy God, not in his own goodness, but clothed in the righteousness of Christ, received by faith alone. And he tells us where the Christian life is headed: through the fellowship of Christ's sufferings, all the way to the resurrection from the dead. Maybe you are carrying a heavy ledger today. Maybe you've been trying to balance the books with God by being good enough. Or maybe you've lost a great deal this year, and you're wondering if it's all been for nothing. This message is for you. * * * * * 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. 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.

  4. 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.

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.