The Supporting Cast - Part 2

Listen to "The Supporting Cast - Part 2", by Greg Sidders / White Pine Community Church, 12-23-12

 

There comes a point in all of our lives when it dawns on us that Jesus is Someone we have to reckon with. And what with we do in response to that realization reveals a lot about us.

 

In this message we're going to observe how three different groups of people responded to the news of the arrival of Jesus Christ--and watching them is going to be like looking in a mirror, because there is a little bit of each of us in all of them.

Notes and Discussion Questions: Your Place in HIStory

12-09-12 // Message notes for, "Your Place in HIStory"

Your Place in HIStory

12-09-12 // Listen to Greg Sidders message, "Your Place in HIStory"


If you've ever watched a children's Christmas play, you know that the stage gets awfully crowded. Even though it's the story of the birth of Jesus, the supporting cast is huge. Joseph and Mary. Shepherds. Wise men. An innkeeper. Camels, donkeys and sheep. Maybe even a little drummer boy. Everyone has a role to play.

The same is true in the biblical accounts of Christ's birth. Jesus is in the spotlight, of course, but there are many other characters on stage. And they matter; the story wouldn't be the same without them.

You and I are also part of the story--and if we learn the lessons that the people surrounding baby Jesus teach us, our lives will contribute to HIStory in a significant way. So for the next three weeks, we're going to learn, from the supporting cast, how to play our part in a way that makes our Audience of One stand and cheer.

PDF Notes and Discussion Question: DOUBTING IN THE DARK

PDF notes and discussion questions for, "DOUBTING IN THE DARK" by Greg Sidders / 12-02-12

DOUBTING IN THE DARK

Click to listen to, "DOUBTING IN THE DARK" by Pastor Greg Sidders / White Pine Community Church / Sunday 12-02-12

"Never doubt in the dark what God showed you in the light."

Ever heard that before? It's great advice that's oh-so-hard to take. Dark circumstances can make encouraging truths invisible. In this message Greg Sidders shines a flashlight on Romans 8:28-39, a wonderful passage that tells us exactly what we need to remember when we find ourselves in a dark night of the soul.

Notes and Discussion Questions: The Gift // 11-25-12

Click for PDF Notes and Discussion question for, "The Gift" by Greg Sidders

The Gift // 11-25-12

Click to Listen to, "The Gift" by Greg Sidders // Sunday 11-25-12, White Pine Community Church

No matter how much shopping you do this weekend, you won't find a gift that can compare to the one God has freely given to every Christian. It is a gift that can help you to joyful and strongly endure the struggles you are facing right now in a broken world.

So take a load off your mall-weary feet, and unwrap God's gift to you in this message.

Notes for: When Who You Are Is Not Who You Want To Be

Click for PDF formatted Notes for Sunday 11-11-12 White Pine Community Church

When Who You Are Is Not Who you Want To Be

Click to Listen to, "When Who You Are Is Not Who You Want To Be" by Greg Sidders // Sunday 11-11-12 White Pine Community Church

Carl Sandburg once wrote, "There is an eagle in me that wants to soar, and there is a hippopotamus in me that wants to wallow in the mud."

If you can relate, then you've probably wrestled with this question: How can I stop wallowing and start soaring?

The answer to living up to your potential (in that area of your life where you have been most frustrated by failure) is found in Romans 7 and 8, which we will study together this message.

Notes and Discussion Questions: Is Obedience Optional

Click to view PDF notes and discussion questions for, "Is Obedience Optional"

Is Obedience Optional?

Listen to Greg Sidders Message, "Is Obedience Optional" from Sunday 11-04-12

 

It's a question many Christians ask, though few do so out loud.

Is obedience optional? 

 

If we are saved by grace through faith, and not by good works ... if we know that we will be acquitted on the day of judgment because Jesus died for our sins ... if we already have our ticket to heaven ... then does our behavior really matter? Of course it will please God if we obey Him, but will it really cost us anything if we don't?

You may be shocked at the Bible's answer to that question. It's in Romans 6:15-23, which we will be studying together in this message.

How to Break Bad Habits

Click to Listen to "How to Break Bad Habits" by Greg Sidders / Sunday 10-28-12, White Pine Community Church. 

Can good people have bad habits? 

Yes. And they can also break them.
 
In our Bridge to God series, we learned that Jesus not paid for our badness; He also gave us His goodness. But you don't want goodness that is only skin-deep, do you? You want to become a better person to the core of your being. The question is, how you conquer those deep-seated bad habits that linger even after you decide to follow Christ?

This message begins a new five-part series, based on Romans 6-8, that will help you to become in real life what you already are in God's eyes. Step one is to free the new you from that bad habit you never thought you could break.

Notes and Discussion Question: "Victory Celebration" 10-21-12

Notes and Discussion Question: "Victory Celebration" 10-21-12

Victory Celebration / Romans 5

Click to listen to Greg's message, "Victory Celebration" from Romans Chapter 5 // Sunday 10-21-12, White Pine Community Churh

When you experience the thrill of victory after a lifetime of agonizing defeat, that's something you want to savor.

 Last Sunday we learned that, despite our utter inability to achieve righteousness, Jesus paid the ultimate price to give it to us as a free gift. Even though we deserve death, He has given us life. Eternal life! That's a victory to relish. And Romans 5, the chapter we will study this weekend at White Pine, will help us to do that, by highlighting some of the real-life benefits of being part of Team Jesus. Come join the victory celebration!

Notes and Discussion Question: How To Fire-Proof Your Future

Click to View Greg Sidders notes and discussion question from his sermon, "How To Fire-Proof Your Future. From Sunday 10-14-12

How to Fire-Proof Your Future

Listen to, "How To Fire-Proof Your Future, by Greg Sidders, Sunday 10-14-12

 Ready for some good news?
 
For the past three weeks, we have been learning from Romans 1-3 that every attempt we have made to build a bridge to God has failed. Left to ourselves, we have no hope.

BUT. That's the word that begins the section of Scripture we will study this Sunday (Romans 3:21-4:25). I hope you'll come and hear what God has done to build a bridge to us, undeserving as we are. It's the best news you will ever hear about the most valuable gift you will ever be given.

Notes and Discussion Question: Intervention

Notes and Discussion Question: Intervention 10-07-12

Intervention

 Listen to Greg Sidders message, "Intervention" / Sunday 10-07-12

What would you do if someone you loved had a serious problem that they were totally unaware of? Would you tell them? Even if you knew they might get defensive?

Of course you would, because, as Proverbs 27:6 (TLB) says, "Wounds from a friend are better than kisses from an enemy!"

Ever since we started studying the Book of Romans three weeks ago, the Spirit of God, through the apostle Paul, has been wounding us in order to heal us. But the area of our life that He has been targeting is so stubbornly resistant to exposure and excision that multiple applications of tough love are required.

Please remember, as we study Romans 2:12-3:20 this Sunday, that, even if it stings a little, there is joy on the other side of this intervention that will make us eternally grateful for such a faithful Friend.

Notes and Discussion Questions "Us & Them"

PDF Notes for Sunday 09-30-12, "Us & Them"

"Us & Them" / 09-30-12

Listen to Greg Sidders message from Sunday, 09-30-12

Sunday 09-30-12

Somewhere I read, "The taller the building, the deeper the foundation."

That means that before you start building up, you have to dig down. The passage we'll be studying this Sunday at White Pine, Romans 1:18-2:11, is not what I would call "uplifting", but that's because Paul's purpose in writing it was to dig a hole in our heart deep enough to accommodate the foundation of a skyscraper. 

I encourage you to trust that God has big plans for your life, so that this Sunday's big dig will feel like tough love--which it most definitely is.

"Bridge Inspection"

Listen to Greg Sidders Message, "Bridge To God" From White Pine Community Church / 09-23-12

Everyone who wants to make it to heaven has to cross a bridge of some kind to get from here to there. And no one I know thinks the bridge they're on is unsafe.

But as confident as you may be in the structural integrity of your bridge to God, wouldn't you like to be 100% sure that it's never going to collapse? This is not an area in which you want to be overconfident, and thus under-inspected, is it? Too much is at stake.

So for the next five weeks, we're going to subject our most deeply held beliefs to a biblical inspection. As we study together the first five chapters of the Book of Romans, the Spirit of  God will reinforce our convictions and expose our misconceptions, so that we can face the future with the peace that comes from knowing that our bridge is going to get us home safely.

New Series this fall - "Bridge to God"

Dear friend,

Everyone who wants to make it to heaven has to cross a bridge of some kind to get from here to there. And no one I know thinks the bridge they're on is unsafe.

But as confident as you may be in the structural integrity of your bridge to God, wouldn't you like to be 100% sure that it's never going to collapse? This is not an area in which you want to be overconfident, and thus under-inspected, is it? Too much is at stake.

So for the next five weeks, we're going to subject our most deeply held beliefs to a biblical inspection. As we study together the first five chapters of the Book of Romans, the Spirit of God will reinforce our convictions and expose our misconceptions, so that we can face the future with the peace that comes from knowing that our bridge is going to get us home safely.

With love,

 

 

Steve Walker 09-16-12

 Listen to Steve Walker's message delivered at White Pine Community Church - 09-16-12

For 27 of the past 30 years, the person who has influenced my spiritual life and ministry most powerfully has done so long-distance.

 I met Steve Walker when I was a senior in college, and we have been friends and accountability Steve Walker partners ever since, maintaining a bi-weekly discipline of opening our lives to one another--despite living in different states for all but three years of the last three decades. (Since 1989, Steve has been the lead pastor of Redeemer's Fellowship in Roseburg, OR.)

Steve and I also have tried to spend a few days together each year to dig deeper than is possible in one-hour phone calls. This week, we met in Boston, and I talked him into extending his stay in New England to spend some time with our elders and to join us for a Sunday service. I am looking forward to introducing him to you, and I know you will be nourished by his teaching ministry.

Fatigue

Listen to Greg Sidders message, "Fatigue" from Sunday 09-09-12 / White Pine Community Church

Summer is over. Time to get back to work! You should be all rested up, ready to hit the ground running--but what if you aren't? What if there is a weariness in your soul that the changing seasons cannot snap you out of? What if passion for God--or, for that matter, passion for anything--is something you haven't felt since you can't remember when? What if your Passion battery is dead?

Only God can recharge you when you're that depleted. And He will. Maybe as soon as this Sunday. Come and plug in at White Pine!

Sermon Notes "Coming Home" / 09-02-12

Click for sermon notes and discussion questions in PDF format

Coming Home / Sunday 09-02-12

Click to listen to Greg's message, "Coming Home" from Sunday 09-02-12


Imagine growing up with undiagnosed poor eyesight, then to be given prescription glasses for the first time. To see the beauty of creation clearly--what a gift that would be.

Tell me: How safe would you keep those glasses? And how clean? You wouldn't play with them in the
dirt, would you? To regress back to poor eyesight would be unthinkable.

And yet how many of us have been given the ability to see God through the purity of heart that Jesus gave us, only to allow the dust and smudges of unholiness to accumulate to the point that we can no longer behold God's beauty?  

It's time to get our lenses cleaned.  We're going to do it this message, and I think the restored view just might give us a restored passion for God.

Man on Fire / Notes and Discussion Questions

Man on Fire / Notes and Discussion Questions in PDF format

Man on Fire / Sunday 08-26-12

Click to listen to "Man on Fire" by Greg Sidders, White Pine Community Church, 08-26-12


Passion is not taught; it's caught.

So if you want to a more passionate relationship with God, what better way to do it than to hang around the most passionate lover of God you know?

In Scripture, no one loves God more passionately than David does.  That's why we're going to spend Passion some time with him this Sunday at White Pine--it's because we can learn, just by warming our hands over his inner fire, how to increase the temperature of our love for God.

If your passion for God has been on ice, it's time to come in from the cold!

Second Honeymoon: Notes and discussion questions

PDF Notes and Discussion questions for, "Second Honeymoon"

Second Honeymoon

Click to listen to "Second Honeymoon" by Greg Sidders / Sunday 08-19-12 / White Pine Community Church

Passion is a word that is often used romantically, to describe what exists between two people who are madly in love. But is it possible for us to love God with a passion? 

Yes! In fact, anything less is a poor substitute for the kind of relationship He wants to Passion have with us.

So for the next four weeks, we are going to try to clear out every passion-buster in our lives and to pour fuel on the fire that the Spirit of God kindled in our hearts when we said yes to following Jesus.

Why Communion?

Click to listen to Greg's Message, "Why Communion" From Sunday 08-12-12

Dear friend,

You know that communion (a.k.a. the Lord's Supper) matters, and you probably know part of the reason why, but do you think you have a full grasp of its significance?  Do you think it would be more meaningful to you, and more pleasing to Jesus, if you took the time to examine all of God's purposes for this holy ritual?

We will be celebrating communion together this Sunday at White Pine, but first we'll mine the scriptures for as many answers as we can find to the question of why it matters.  Our goal is not just to deepen your appreciation of communion this one time, but every time you participate in it for the rest of your life.

 With love,

Greg Sidders
Pastor

Outline and Notes, "Why Baptistm?"

Notes for "Why Baptism" by Greg Sidders

Why Baptism?

Listen to Greg Sidders message from Sunday 08-05-12

Almost all Christians agree that baptism is important, but that's where the agreement ends and the arguments begin. Why should we be baptized? And when? And how? There are as many different combinations of answers to those questions as there are Christian denominations.

But my guess is the only question you really want an answer to on this subject is the most basic one of all: What does God want you to do? Good news: The Bible's answer to that question is crystal clear. And this Sunday at White Pine you will not only find out what God wants you to do; you will be given the opportunity to do it.

This Week at White Pine / Sunday 08-05-12

Dear friend,

Almost all Christians agree that baptism is important, but that's where the agreement ends and the arguments begin. Why should we be baptized? And when? And how? There are as many different combinations of answers to those questions as there are Christian denominations.

But my guess is the only question you really want an answer to on this subject is the most basic one of all: What does God want you to do? Good news: The Bible's answer to that question is crystal clear. And this Sunday at White Pine you will not only find out what God wants you to do; you will be given the opportunity to do it.

With love,

Greg Sidders 

Who Needs The Bible To Follow Jesus? Part 2

Listen to Greg Sidders in his message, "Who Needs The Bible To Follow Jesus? Part 2"


If you're a Christian, my guess is that you believe the Bible is the word of God. I'm also guessing that you have friends who disagree.

How do we know who's right?

In part 1, we learned that we can appeal to Jesus' endorsement of the Old Testament, which had been completed several hundred years before His birth. That covers 75% of the Bible. But what about the other 25%? What is the basis of our confidence that the Scriptures written after Jesus' earthly life are God's word, too?

We'll find solid answers to that question in this message--answers that will help you to realize what an invaluable treasure the New Testament really is.

07-22-12 / Kurt Holmgren, Root Cellar

Listen to Kurt Holmgren, Director of The Root Cellar Ministry in Portland, Maine. / Sunday 07-22-12 White Pine Community Church

Building Joy in Relationships

"Building Joy in Relationship", by Randy Reynolds // Sunday 07-15-12

Friendship // Randy Reynolds

Sunday 07-08-12 Click to Listen!

Sermon Notes from, "Who Needs The Bible to Follow Jesus" Part 1

07-01-12 discussion questions and sermon notes, "Who Needs the Bible to Follow Jesus?" Part 1: The Old Testament

Who Needs The Bible to Follow Jesus? Part 1: The Old Testament

Listen to, "Who Needs The Bible to Follow Jesus?" Part 1: The Old Testament 

Sunday 07-01-12

At White Pine, our mission is to help people find and follow Jesus.

So why do we study the Bible?

That question may sound sacrilegious, but it's not. By definition, a Christian is someone who has faith in Christ, not someone who has faith in the Bible. And if you've ever read the Bible cover-to-cover, you've probably come across disturbing passages that make you wonder, "How much of this book do I have to believe to be a follower of Jesus?"

This Sunday (and next) at White Pine, we'll find answers to that question by discovering what Jesus Himself believed and taught about the Bible. It's an important study that will help you to make the link between devotion to that Man and devotion to this Book.

Sermon Notes for, "How to Be Your Husband's Best Friend"

PDF Sermon Notes for, "How to Be Your Husband's Best Friend" by Greg Sidders

How to Be Your Husband's Best Friend

Listen to, "How to Be Your Husband's Best Friend" by Greg Sidders // White Pine Community Church // Sunday 06-17-12

You may remember that, as a gift to women on Mother's Day, we studied every New Testament command given to husbands.

So guess what we're going to do in this Father's Day message?

Right, in this message Greg is going to conclude his marriage series with a message about what God calls wives to do for their husbands.  So men, kick off Father's Day by coming to White Pine with your family and listening to a message that applies only to your wife!

How To Have a Good Fight

Listen to: "How To Have a Good Fight" by Greg Sidders, White Pine Community Church

I'm not going to ask you whether you and your spouse ever argue. I already know the answer to that. My question is: Do you argue well?

 Conflict in a close relationship is inevitable--in fact, it's purposeful--but there is a healthy way and an unhealthy way to work through disagreements. In this message, we're going to discover what the Bible teaches about how to have a good fight ... the kind that strengthens a marriage rather than fracturing it.  Come and learn how to fight for the marriage you've always wanted.

Sermon Notes for: How To Affair - Proof Your Marriage

PDF Sermon Notes for 06-03-12

How to Affair - Proof Your Marriage

Listen to, "How To Affair - Proof Your Marriage" by Greg Sidders

We live in a culture that treats marital infidelity as a trivial thrill--an "affair"--but if you have ever pulled the pin of that grenade or been wounded by its shrapnel, you know what a devastating sin it really is. You also know that the severity of the consequences does not lessen the strength of the temptation.

How can you escape the lure--and the hook--of infidelity? What steps can you take to affair-proof your marriage? I'll show you some very practical advice from the Bible this Sunday in Part 4 of The Marriage You've Always Wanted.

Sermon Notes: Busily Ever After

View PDF Sermon Notes for part 3 of, "The Marriage You've Always Wanted" by Greg Sidders

Busily Ever After

Listen to Part 3 of, "The Marriage You've Always Wanted" by Greg Sidders / White Pine Community Church 05-27-12
Pursuing unhurried and undistracted intimacy in a 21st century marriage is like being a contestant on Wipeout.  Between you and your goal are a lot of obstacles orchestrated to beat you up and wear you down until you're too exhausted to relish victory.

 But when you're proactive rather than reactive, you can anticipate and dodge that which levels the ill-prepared. So this Sunday at White Pine, you're going to be equipped to overcome two of the biggest obstacles to the marriage you've always wanted.

Why Marriage / Notes and Discussion Questions

PDF copy of the notes and discussion questions for Greg Sidder's message, "Why Marriage" 05-20-12

Why Marriage? / 05-20-12

Listen to: "Why Marriage" by Greg Sidders / White Pine Community Church 05-20-12

 

Men and women say "I do" for all kinds of reasons, but do you do when your marriage doesn't live up to your expectations?

Here's an idea: Ask the inventor of the institution, "What were you thinking?"

God had His reasons for creating marriage, and He didn't keep them a secret. In this message we are going to discover what God had in mind so that we can find the good in marriage that eludes those who are ignorant of His purposes.

Sermon Notes for 05-13-12 / A Man's Guide to a Great Marriage

View PDF notes for Greg Sidders message from Sunday 05-13-12, "A Man's Guide to a Great Marriagehttp://www.markmarston.com/wpccvideo/05-13-12/HusbandJDo.pdf

"A Man's Guide to a Great Marriage," by Greg Sidders / 05-13-12

Listen to, "A Man's Guide to a Great Marriage," by Greg Sidders / Part 1 of, "The Marriage You've Always Wanted" 05-13-12

 It was in the receiving line following my friends' wedding that a middle-aged man cracked a joke. As he and his wife congratulated the newlyweds, he said, "I hope you will be as happy as we thought we'd be."

 Marriage is a double-edged sword.  No other relationship has greater potential to enrich us, nor more power to deplete us. But what does it take to make your marriage a blessing rather than a curse? That's what we are going to find out during the next six weeks, as we explore what the Bible teaches about how to achieve The Marriage You've Always Wanted.  And we're going to start with an appropriate topic for Mother's Day: God's job description for husbands.  (Don't worry guys, we'll turn the tables on Father's Day!)

 If you're not married, I hope you won't assume that this series is not for you.  The principles we learn can make your most important relationships better, too.  As all of us listen without defensiveness and obey without excuses, God will transform our relationships into compelling advertisements for the mountain-moving power of Jesus.

Why The Dot Matters / Sunday 05-06-12

Listen to, "Why The Dot Matters?" By Greg Sidders

Seven weeks ago, during our God Over Money series, we read together Luke 12:33, where Jesus said, "Sell your possessions and give to the poor."  Then I asked if you would be willing to sell a possession in order to give to a clean water project in poverty-stricken Ethiopia.  My heart beats faster as I remember the joy I felt when so many of you stood up and said "Yes!"

This Sunday, you will have the opportunity to "finish the work, so that your eager willingness to do it may be matched by your completion of it" (2 Corinthians 8:11). With the money you made from the sale of a personal possession, you will have the opportunity to contribute to the Living Water project.  If you intended to sell a possession but have not yet found a buyer, you may give what you expect to make, or wait to complete the sale. If you have already given, that money will be added to the total we send to World Vision.

Also on Sunday we will learn more about how generosity to the under-resourced fits into Christ's lifelong plan for us, individually and corporately.

Sunshine is in the forecast, but don't let the weather keep you away from the warm brightness of God's blessing as we please Him with this act of generosity.

Sermon Notes for: Why Do Bad Things Happen To Good People

Sermon Notes for: Why Do Bad Things Happen To Good People, By Greg Sidders
From Sunday 04-22-12

Why Do Bad Things Happen to Good People?

Listen to, "Why Do Bad Things Happen to Good People? Part 3 of the series, "Hurdles That Make it Hard to Believe" by Greg Sidders

Of all the hurdles that make it hard to believe, the one we're going to try to clear in this message is the tallest one of all--because it involves, not an abstract question that originates in our mind, but an aching question that erupts from our heart: "Why should I believe in a God who doesn't use His power to stop unjust suffering?"

All of us have gone through, or are going through, or will go through experiences that make it hard to believe in the love or the power or maybe even the existence of God. But if our struggle to make sense of suffering propels us toward Him rather than driving us from Him, there are some things He will say to us that just might fertilize our faith rather than shattering it.

Why We Can Trust the Gospels

Listen to, "Why We Can Trust the Gospels" Part 2 in the series, "Hurdles That Make it Hard to Believe"






If you're searching for the real Jesus, where can you find him? For every person who says, "The Bible", there is someone else who says, "Anywhere but the Bible." It's a bridge to some, and a barrier to others. Why? Because people with higher IQs and more education than us question its accuracy, and it feels foolish to believe what the experts doubt.

But God has given you a mind that is capable of evaluating the evidence for yourself. In this message you will have the opportunity to do so. I hope you will take it, because more is at stake than you can imagine.

Is Faith a Blind Leap?

Listen to, "Is Faith a Blind Leap?" / Part 1 in the series, "Hurdles That Make it Hard to Believe" by Greg Sidders

This message begins a four-week series, "Hurdles That Make it Hard to Believe." Hurdles, is going to be good for our church. But what I really want is for it to be great for our community.

It's going to be good for us because we are going to be equipped to help people we love clear the hurdles that make it hard for them to believe in Jesus. But wouldn't it be great to bring those people with us to church, so that they can hear biblical responses to their questions in the Spirit-saturated atmosphere of a worship service?

If there is somebody that God has been nudging you to invite, I encourage you to be brave and go for it. If you will ask them to come, we will do all we can to make them glad they came. Deal?