Text: Ecclesiastes 7:27–29

Speaker: Tony de la Riva

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Explanations abound for what’s wrong with the world: bad systems, bad leaders, or some particular group—maybe liberals, or Christians, or Jews, or men in general. The real reason, however, is that people are sinners, and that includes all of us. No fact in existence is more obvious, yet none is as ignored or as unacceptable. God made human beings upright, but we've spent our lives blame-shifting, destroying ourselves and others, and inventing new ways of doing evil. But the good news is that the God we’ve rejected has provided the only means of redemption: His only Son, the Lord Jesus. Through a recognition of our corruption, God brings us to the cross of Christ—to forgiveness, redemption, and the uprightness we were created for.

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

Text: Ecclesiastes 7:25–26

Speaker: Tony de la Riva

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Sexual immorality has become the air we breathe in the culture today. Finding it requires no effort; it's avoiding it that takes work. Scripture warns that slavery to sexual sin is “more bitter than death,” because it erodes life, hollows out the mind and the soul, and ends in eternal destruction. Jesus exposes the monstrosity of sexual immorality as well as its consequences, and he alone holds out real hope for every immoral person. In Christ, we find full forgiveness for every sin, fellow travelers to walk with in the light, and fail-proof marching orders for fighting the good fight of faith.

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

Text: Ecclesiastes 7:21–24

Speaker: Tony de la Riva

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Do you really see yourself clearly? According to God's Word, our biggest problem is not “out there” but in the mirror. You and I are fallen, finite, and deeply sinful. When we understand this the way God wants to, the result is not humiliation, but humility and patience toward others, who are no different than we are. A realistic view of self breaks us from trusting ourselves and drives us to trust Christ, in whom God's true wisdom is found.

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

Text: Ephesians 2:13

Speaker: Troy McMillan

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Sinners who were once far from God can draw near to God through the blood of Christ. That is Paul's message. By His sacrifice, Jesus breaks down every barrier between God and man and unites His people in one body. The contrast between our former hopelessness apart from Christ and our new life in Christ magnifies the riches of God’s mercy, grace, and love. When believers keep in mind thae “pit from which we’ve been dug,” our gratitude is deepened, our assurance is strengthened, and our love for the Lord's people is fueled as we stand together at the foot of the cross.

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

Text: Ecclesiastes 7:20

Speaker: Tony de la Riva

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Is Christianity about becoming a better person or finding personal fulfillment? Not according to God. Scripture confronts us with the sobering truth that no one is righteous before a holy God. No one's efforts or supposed "goodness" can solve that problem. This is why we need Jesus: He suffered instead of sinners to give forgiveness and righteousness to everyone who trusts in Him. Christianity is not a call to self-improvement for good people. It’s a call to salvation for sinners.

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

Text: Ecclesiastes 7:19

Speaker: Tony de la Riva

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The problems we see in the state of California should cause us to ask ourselves: what shapes a society—politicians and policies, or the deep, presupposed, unexamined worldviews that drive them? God never gives us quick political fixes, but he does provide real solutions in the form of regular, faithful Christians. One believer with a mind shaped by Scripture and a heart anchored in Christ can do more lasting good than a whole slate of powerful leaders—even in a place like California.

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

Text: Ecclesiastes 7:17

Speaker: Tony de la Riva

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Why do some people—sometimes even professing believers—seem to wreck their lives long before their time, while others grow into full maturity in Christ? There is a danger in willful, habitual, unrepentant sin. It invites catastrophic consequences, both in this life and in the life to come. The solution is the fear of the Lord—a true, saving, growing faith in Christ alone. Through Jesus, we are guarded from the self‑sabotage of untimely ruin and eternal destruction.

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

Text: Ecclesiastes 7:16

Speaker: Tony de la Riva

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What does real Christianity look like, and what does true spirituality consist of? While man-made standards and external add-ons might seem spiritual, they can't change the heart. In fact, most of the time, externalism does far more harm in the believer's life than good. It hinders our growth in Christ-likeness, robs the authority of Scripture in our lives, and threatens the unity of the church. The only solution to the corrosive power of externalism is a sincere faith in Christ and the maturing, refining work of the Word of God in our hearts.

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

Text: Matthew 1:18–25

Speaker: Tony de la Riva

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The claim that Jesus Christ was born of a virgin is one of the hardest pills for the natural human mind to swallow, and rightly so. If God is not God, then it's both impossible and unreasonable. Of course, in that case, Jesus is just another religious teacher, and sinners are without a Savior. But if God the Son was miraculously conceived by the virgin Mary, then “Immanuel” is not poetry but historical reality: God with us, born in Bethlehem two thousand years ago to save his people from their sins.

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

Text: Romans 1:1–6

Speaker: Steve Black

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Much confusion and mystery surrounds the origins of Christmas. Even so, what has always stood at the center of Christmas as we understand it is the birth of Jesus Christ. Christmas is not merely about a baby in a manger. It's about the Savior who was born to die to reconcile God and sinners. In the coming of Christ—promised beforehand and declared in the Gospel—we celebrate the good news that God himself stepped into history to bear our sin and to bring us peace with him.

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