Text: Ecclesiastes 4:1-3

Speaker: Tony de la Riva

--

So much of the current public discourse centers on the matter of oppression. But what is oppression, and when does it happen? It's an important question, because true oppression is an unspeakable horror—much more so than most Americans can even imagine. In fact, oppression is so horrible that even God's Word acknowledges that death is preferable to it. In this message, we consider how we as Christians can stand against oppression in the name of Christ.

--

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

Text: Romans 3:25-26

Speaker: Tony de la Riva

--

The central focus not only of the New Testament but of Scripture is Jesus' death. Why is that, and what does the resurrection have to do with the cross? On this Easter Sunday, while most Christians are focusing on Jesus' resurrection, we take a deeper look at the death of Christ and what Jesus actually accomplished on the cross, because it's only in light of his death that his resurrection has its full meaning.

--

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

Text: 1 Corinthians 11:26

Speaker: Tony de la Riva

--

What is the Lord's Supper? Paul told the Corinthians that every time we observe communion, we are 'proclaiming the Lord's death.' But what is "the Lord's death," and what does it mean to "proclaim" it in this way? In this Good Friday message, we consider what it is that Christians are actually doing when they come to partake of the Lord's Table together.

--

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

Text: Ecclesiastes 3:22

Speaker: Tony de la Riva

--

What is God's will for my life? Christians frequently ask themselves that question. Should I take this job or that job? Should I marry Suzy or Sally? Unfortunately, this is usually accompanied by a fear of making the wrong choice and being outside of God's will. But here's the good news: God's will doesn't work like that. Instead, God's will for you is this: Don't sin, make wise decisions, do whatever you want, and enjoy your life. In fact, there is nothing better than to enjoy your life with thanksgiving to the glory of God.

--

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

Text: Ecclesiastes 3:16–21

Speaker: Tony de la Riva

--

Human beings and animals are identical in this one respect: Both are going to die. While death may be an unpopular topic in our society today, it is nevertheless an inconvenient reality that every one of us must face. More than that, it's a fact that God wants us to take heart—so much so that he's testing us in order to impress it upon us. Why is that? Is it because God is a cosmic killjoy who is morbidly preoccupied with death?

--

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

Text: Ecclesiastes 3:14–15

Speaker: Tony de la Riva

--

If God is so good, why is the world so bad? If God knew that evil was going to exist, why did he create the world to begin with? If God is in control, why is he governing the world the way he does? These are some of the questions that arise when we consider the biblical doctrines of the goodness and the sovereignty of God. But if those doctrines are true—and according to Solomon in Ecclesiastes 3, they are—then God has answers to all those questions and more. And it's God's answers alone that can give us hope and confidence in the face of a world like ours.

--

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

Text: Ecclesiastes 3:12–13

Speaker: Tony de la Riva

--

Discontentment is a human default and is as natural to fallen humanity as flesh and blood. As Spurgeon observed, "You have no need to teach men to complain." Rockefeller touched on this reality when he said, “If your only goal is to become rich, you'll never achieve it.” One of humanity's biggest problems is that we fail to realize that contentment isn't found in our circumstances, but in our hearts and minds—specifically, in our confidence in the sovereign goodness of God, and in our satisfaction with the Lord Jesus.

--

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

Text: Ecclesiastes 3:1–11

Speaker: Tony de la Riva

--

In this mysterious of world of ours, there is good and bad, life and death, dancing and mourning, war and peace. Our secular world says this is all just molecules doing what molecules do, but the truth of God's Word is that it's all part of the sovereign plan of God, the One who is governing it all and ordaining whatsoever comes to pass according to his wisdom and goodness.

--

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

Text: Zephaniah 3:14–20

Guest speaker: Pastor Ryan Wetzel of Grace Bible Church in Escondido, CA

--

If you ask a theologian about the God of the Bible, they will probably rattle off a string of big words like omniscient, omnipresent, and omnipotent. Those words tell us true things about God, but they don't mean a whole lot to a lot of people. But if you ask an ancient Hebrew prophet the same thing, you will receive a much different answer. The Old Testament prophets would say God is a roaring lion, a blazing fire, and a mighty warrior. He's a shepherd who binds up his flock's wounds or a nursing mother who soothes her child. The prophet Zephaniah would tell you that God is a lover—he so loves and delights in his people that he serenades them with love songs.

--

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

Text: Ecclesiastes 2:24–26

Speaker: Tony de la Riva

--

The whole duty of man is fearing the Lord and keeping his commandments (Eccl 12:13)—or, in New Covenant terms, trusting in Jesus and following him—and the best thing a person can do is be content with life (Eccl 2:24). Taken together, we learn that contentment is one of the surest expressions of saving faith and one of the great goals of the Christian life. And yet, in a mystery of mysteries, contentment is a grace—it's something that God has to give. So how does he give it, and how do we find it?

--

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