Text: Ecclesiastes 7:13–15

Speaker: Tony de la Riva

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It's common to hear Christians say that “God is in control”—but what does that mean? Does it mean that God controls inanimate objects, and possibly the weather and the animals as well? Does it mean merely that God reacts better than any human being to the unexpected? Or is it possible that God is actually the Planner and the Architect behind every event and Lord over every human heart? According to Scripture, if God is not sovereign and good, then God is not God.

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Woodland Park Bible Church is located in North County, San Diego. Listen, read & learn more at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠wpbcSanMarcos.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Text: 1 Timothy 2:3–4

Guest Speaker: Brett Nelson

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When fear, awkwardness, or feelings of inadequacy keep us silent, how will those around us ever hear the only message that can save them from eternal judgment? God’s answer to that question is not gimmicks or a watered-down, man-centered message, but a renewed love for the lost, a clear grasp of the Gospel, and a willingness to share the truth in love. As we use God’s law to expose sin, and point sinners patiently, courageously, and wisely to Christ alone, we can trust the Holy Spirit to do what only he can do.

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Woodland Park Bible Church is located in North County, San Diego. Listen, read & learn more at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠wpbcSanMarcos.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Text: Ecclesiastes 7:11–12

Speaker: Tony de la Riva

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Is money really the answer to our biggest problems? Or, could it be that it's the root of our problems? Society seems to believe that the answer to both of those questions is 'Yes.' But could it be that our entire perspective on money is wrong? In today's passage, Solomon rejects the assumptions that money is evil and that material solutions can fix what’s broken. Instead, he points us to an accurate, biblical view of money that recognizes both its benefits and its limitations, and he ultimately points us to Christ, in whom we find real protection and meaning when every other shelter fails.

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Woodland Park Bible Church is located in North County, San Diego. Listen, read & learn more at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠wpbcSanMarcos.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Text: Ecclesiastes 7:7–10

Speaker: Tony de la Riva

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Why are we so quick to let anger get the best of us, and why do we long for the “good ol’ days,” imagining that they held more joy than what the Lord is doing today? In this second of two messages on the 'four wise and better pearls' found in these verses, we consider Solomon's assaults the roots of bitterness and nostalgia—and how Christ-centered faith and trust in God’s providence free us from both. True wisdom, which is found in Christ alone, melts away resentment and cultivates lasting contentment today.

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Woodland Park Bible Church is located in North County, San Diego. Listen, read & learn more at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠wpbcSanMarcos.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Text: Romans 1:16-17

Speaker: Steve Black

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How can anyone be made right with God? Paul declares that the Gospel alone has the power to save—revealing a righteousness that comes not by moral effort or good works, but by faith in Christ alone. In today's message, we consider Paul's uncovering of how justification is a gift from God, received through simple trust in Jesus, and how salvation is obtained through resting wholly on what Christ has done.

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Woodland Park Bible Church is located in North County, San Diego. Listen, read & learn more at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠wpbcSanMarcos.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Text: Ecclesiastes 7:7–10

Speaker: Tony de la Riva

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True wisdom refuses to put a price tag on integrity, and the wise person plays the long game instead of calling it quits before things develop. These two truths are the first of four in a "string of pearls" found in Ecclesiastes 7:7–10. They remind us that true wisdom stays the course when temptation presses in on us, and that biblical faith endures when results seem slow to come. So whether it's a matter of integrity, or of patience with a situation or with other people, God’s way is always the long game, where character is better than compromise, and a patient spirit is better than the arrogance of immediate gratification.

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Woodland Park Bible Church is located in North County, San Diego. Listen, read & learn more at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠wpbcSanMarcos.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Text: Ecclesiastes 7:2–6

Speaker: Tony de la Riva

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Ecclesiastes 7:2–6 confronts our pleasure-driven culture with a stark truth: Wisdom grows not in laughter and entertainment, but in sorrow and sober reflection. Solomon reminds us that funerals are better than parties because the house of mourning teaches lessons no feast ever could—lessons about mortality, eternity, and what truly matters before God. In a generation consumed by amusement and allergic to rebuke, Scripture calls believers to see the refining mercy of sorrow, the sanctifying gift of correction, and the eternal wisdom of living for Christ instead of what feels good.

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Woodland Park Bible Church is located in North County, San Diego. Listen, read & learn more at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠wpbcSanMarcos.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Text: Ecclesiastes 7:2–6

Speaker: Tony de la Riva

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In an age dominated by endless amusement and instant gratification, sober-mindedness is not only wise, but urgently necessary for anyone who wants to live for Christ. In this message, we will consider how a culture obsessed with entertainment has lost its capacity for clear thinking, meaningful relationships, and spiritual focus—a trend visible both in wider society and, all too often, within the church. Yet God calls believers to abandon the house of pleasure, and instead to embrace the mental and spiritual effort that is necessary for true discipleship.

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Woodland Park Bible Church is located in North County, San Diego. Listen, read & learn more at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠wpbcSanMarcos.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Text: Ecclesiastes 7:1

Speaker: Tony de la Riva

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Solomon opens Ecclesiastes 7 by turning our usual thinking on its head by forcing us to ask two surprising questions: Why is having character worth more than all the money in the world? And how can death possibly be better than birth? The answer is found in a transformed life and then eternal life after—both of which only come through faith in Christ.

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Woodland Park Bible Church is located in North County, San Diego. Listen, read & learn more at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠wpbcSanMarcos.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Text: Ecclesiastes 6:10–12

Speaker: Tony de la Riva

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Life under the sun confronts us with the hard limits of our knowledge, our mortality, and our inability to control life. However, in the midst of these sobering limitations, Solomon points us past our aimless, arrogant striving toward humble faith in the One who alone can redeem us from the bondage of ignorance, impotence, and death.

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Woodland Park Bible Church is located in North County, San Diego. Listen, read & learn more at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠wpbcSanMarcos.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.