Whispering Pines Church

Students of the Savior: Lord of the Sabbath Matthew 12:1-14 At long last, we have the opportunity to explore the God-given command to rest. Here in the first section of chapter twelve, Jesus is confronted for supposedly breaking sabbath laws. Jesus seems to address the command to rest in a unique way, saying that it is “lawful to do good on the sabbath.” In a Christian culture that often promotes busy-ness as a virtue, particularly within the church, how do we balance rest and work? How do we ensure that we’re not falling prey to the tyranny of the urgent, and setting aside time for the more inefficient aspects of our life with God? Jesus’ words in Mark two are helpful for us in this, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath” (Mark 2:27). Join us as we look to Jesus to help us understand rest and its place in our lives. Pastor Nate Roschen

Students of the Savior: Hidden Things Revealed Matthew 11 Matthew chapter eleven helps us to answer the question, “To whom is Christ revealed?” When John the Baptist was preaching a message of repentance in the wilderness, people did not come to him because he wore fine clothes, but because he was a prophet that spoke a truth they couldn’t deny. Jesus’ message did not come through the wise and the wealthy, but through ordinary people transformed by the gospel! Jesus actually tells us that the hidden things came to the “little children” (vs. 25). He invites all of us to come to Him, especially the weak and weary. He promises rest, guaranteed by His gentle and lowly heart. Join us as Jesus continues to reveal His heart to us! Pastor Nate Roschen

Students of the Savior: Sent Out Matthew 10 Having witnessed many miracles and having seen the tender compassion of the Lord firsthand, Jesus now sends the disciples out. They are told to take nothing extra with them, for God would provide for them. Jesus’ command for them is for all who follow Him to be “like” Him. In this chapter we will find a number of very challenging teachings, as Christ demands allegiance to Him above all else. But that allegiance goes beyond a mere political or strategic alliance. The allegiance Christ demands is one of the heart. In all we do, we are to love God. Join us as we witness Jesus’ sending out of the disciples Pastor Nate Roschen

Students of the Savior: Mercy, not Sacrifice Matthew 9:9-38 In Matthew nine, we find Jesus showing kindness after kindness. He raises a girl from the dead, heals a woman who had suffered for twelve years, and restores the blind and the mute. As Jesus sees the brokenness of humanity He is moved to compassion. With people far from God who declare their need, Jesus consistently shows mercy. We all ought to consider our approach to people today in similar circumstances. Our Lord is a friend of sinners, welcoming a tax collector, a young man named Matthew, to follow Him. Come, let us walk in the way of the Lord, - Pastor Nate Roschen

Students of the Savior: Committed Matthew 8:18-34 As we continue to follow Christ’s early ministry and teachings, we come to a challenging section in the second half of Matthew 8. We find Jesus essentially turning away two potential disciples who come to Him, we see Him in the midst of a storm, and watch Him as He restores two violent, demon-possessed men. Following Jesus leads us places we may not want to go, certainly to places and to people we would not choose on our own. We find Jesus' disciples following Him, not because they are so courageous, but because Jesus is without fear, not because they are so faithful, but because Jesus proves Himself faithful. Join us as we explore our commitment to Jesus Pastor Nate Roschen

Students of the Savior: Not Just Words Matthew 8:1-17 Join us this Sunday at Whispering Pines Church as we celebrate Mother’s Day, and continue on in our study of Christ’s teachings in Matthew 8. After preaching the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus applies His teaching by showing compassion on members of the most marginalized groups of His culture; lepers, gentiles, and women. Compassion for marginalized groups is to live on as a Christian distinctive. Christ challenges us to open our eyes to the needs of our world and apply our beliefs to our everyday lives. - Pastor Nate Roschen

Students of the Savior: The Narrow Road Matthew 7:13-29 When hiking in the woods you may come to a fork in your path. As you consider which trail to take, you may consider a number of factors. Does one trail seem to be more difficult? Where will each trail lead? It may take a great deal of time to decide, but to move forward, a choice must be made. Jesus concludes His sermon on the mount by contrasting a narrow and a wide gate, true and false disciples, and wise and foolish builders. Join us this week as Jesus teaches us about this most important choice. - Pastor Nate Roschen

Students of the Savior: The Cost of Compassion Matthew 7:1-12 I’m sure that all of us have had a splinter at one time or another. I hated splinters as a child. They were painful, and even though I knew a splinter would have to be removed or it would become infected, I often resisted. At the same time, if my younger sister got a splinter I would be the first to encourage its removal. We can be the same way with our sin. Our sin is painful to remove, we can make excuses, or hide it in dark corners, all the while “helping” others with their sin. Come and join us at Whispering Pines Church this Sunday as we study our Savior's way together! Pastor Nate Roschen

Palm Sunday Matthew 21 The people were ecstatic! They shouted: “Hosanna to the Son of David;
Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord;
 Blessed is the King of Israel!” They laid down palm branches and their cloaks on the ground before Him. Their King had finally come! Only days later, this King was hung on a cross. Their longed-for Messiah was not what they expected. Their hopes of gaining political power and freedom from their Roman oppressors were dashed. But… The King did ride into Jerusalem on that day, and He did come to deliver. He came to save. What is our response to this King who came to save us from more than just momentary light affliction, but sin and death itself? Do we still cry out, Hosanna, (which means “please save”)? Join us, as we seek this Messiah who comes to us, and longs to be King of our hearts! Pastor Nate

Students of the Savior Matthew 6:19-34 Trust For the remainder of Matthew 6, Jesus turns to address our personal interior lives. Jesus raises the issue of greed and hoarding wealth among the people of God. These are not new issues, but in our modern world, they are often viewed as virtuous. Christ is bold and clear on this point, “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth” (Matt. 6:24). By utilizing imagery that was present there on the mountainside, Jesus assures us that we have no need to worry. Many of us don’t realize the driving force that worry is in our lives. Jesus calls out our worry for what it is, and calls us to instead trust in God. Join us this Sunday as we look to Jesus’ way, a life free from worry and full of trust in the faithfulness of God! -Pastor Nate Roschen

Elder Jason Moat shares the importance of The Lord's Supper.

Students of the Savior Matthew 6:1-18 Giving, Fasting, and Prayer In Matthew 6:1-18, Jesus questions our motivation for three common expressions of our faith: giving to the poor, prayer, and fasting. These response to God can become stale, mundane and ordinary. Christ directs us to love God with these essential practices in a way that is rewarding and personal. Come and join us at Whispering Pines Church this Sunday as we study the words of Christ together! Blessings - Pastor Nate Roschen

Students of the Savior: Matthew 5:38-48 Loving Enemies In the final eleven verses of Matthew chapter five, Jesus presents His most countercultural commands. Here He speaks of not resisting an evil person (v. 39), and of loving our enemies (v. 44). Jesus' heart, even for enemies and those far from the truth is revealed in these passages. This missional, uncompromising, love-until-the-end attitude is so desperately needed in our world today. While examining our heart for anger or lust may be at least somewhat agreeable to us, Jesus calls us to loving enemies with seemingly no limits. We have seen this sort of Christ-like love play out in the lives of martyrs throughout Christian history. Men and women dared to cling to Christ, even if it led to their death. Where will Christ's love lead Whispering Pines Church? - Pastor Nate Roschen

As we continue to make our way through Christ's Sermon on the Mount, we come next to a challenging passage where Christ affirms that He has not come to abolish the law, but to fulfill it. Through the rest of Matthew 5, we do not find Jesus lowering the moral bar for humanity, but raising it. There will be no prize for abstaining from murder, now Jesus will question the hate in our hearts. Keeping from adultery is expected, but what about the lust in your eyes? Jesus alone has perfectly kept the law. It is Jesus we are to emulate, Jesus who declares us righteous, Jesus who cleanses us so that we can follow Him in spirit and in truth. As Paul would write later in 2 Corinthians 5:21, "God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God." Join us as we continue to look at the greatest sermon ever preached! Pastor Nate Roschen

Matthew 5:13-16 It would be hard to imagine a lightless and tasteless world. Thankfully God gave us all we needed to enjoy good food and the beauty of His creation. We call those elements salt and light. For difficult times when the world seems broken, dark and flavorless, God gives the world what it needs. We call those elements, Christians. Come join us at Whispering Pines Church this Sunday as we explore Jesus' declaration that we are salt and light in this world. Pastor Nate Roschen

Students of the Savior: The Beatitudes Jesus’ first public address was not to kings or dignitaries, but to ordinary people like you and I. He delivered good news to all the people, that there was hope for the left out and left behind. The poor, the mourning, the broken, were being beckoned by God. The message Jesus brought in this first talk was countercultural, introduced radical elements of the faith that continue to inspire, and declared that Christ alone fulfilled the requirements to bring peace with God. This week begin our new series, beginning in the Sermon on the Mount, and then beyond to the teachings and works of Christ in the book of Matthew. Join us as we begin in Matthew 5 with the beatitudes! Pastor Nate Roschen

Ekklesia: The Lord - Part 2 Matthew 13, John 16 In our last week of our study of expectations, we’ll look at what Jesus Christ, the Son of God, expects of us. Obviously, this is once again a topic that could be nearly endless is scope. Indeed, Christ has great hopes and plans for us. We’ll focus this week on what Jesus has to say in Matthew 13 and John 16, concerning allegiance to Him and living lives apart from fear. What does it mean to you to put your trust in Jesus? As Christians, we believe that our eternal future is certain because of Christ’s death and resurrection. But what does Jesus expect of you concerning trust in the here and now? Join us as we look to Jesus as the way, truth, and life! Pastor Nate Roschen

Marissa Meyers from Alternative Pregnancy Center shared with us their mission.

Join us this week as we continue to explore our expectations by looking at the very heart of Christ. Throughout the four gospels, there is only one place where Christ explicitly speaks of His own heart, Matthew 11. How we understand Christ will determine what we believe it looks like to follow Him. Is Christ a warrior or a rabbi? Quiet or loud? Join us as we examine our expectations, and see where Scripture leads us. - Pastor Nate Roschen Matthew 11:28-30 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”