Crime and Punishment

For I Know the Plans I Have for You

Text: Jeremiah 29:11 -- Speaker: Tony de la Riva -- Jeremiah 29:11 can be found everywhere nowadays—from stickers to notebooks to 'girl-boss' Instagram account feeds. But what does it actually mean? Is it a blanket promise of personal success, or something else? When Jeremiah is allowed to speak for himself, the message is clear: God loves mercy, but he will not compromise his character for those who will not turn from their sin. It warns us against twisting Scripture to suit our desires and offers a blessing to those who will hear the Word of God on God’s terms, not theirs. -- Woodland Park Bible Church is located in North County, San Diego. Listen, read & learn more at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠wpbcSanMarcos.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://wpbcsanmarcos.org/].

Where to Find Meaning

Text: Ecclesiastes 8:16–17 -- Speaker: Tony de la Riva -- The answer to life’s meaning cannot be found within the created order—not under a microscope, not in self-discovery, not in human wisdom, not in self-created spirituality. This is not to say that meaning doesn't exist, but it is to say that God has intentionally blocked our natural access to it. If fallen humanity is going to find meaning, our only option is humility and faith: we must repudiate our own illusions and find it in God's Word. -- Woodland Park Bible Church is located in North County, San Diego. Listen, read & learn more at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠wpbcSanMarcos.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://wpbcsanmarcos.org/].

You Don’t Know Anything

Text: Ecclesiastes 8:16–17 -- Speaker: Tony de la Riva -- God has put the question of eternity in our hearts, but He has not put the answer there. As a result, we are restless, relentless meaning-makers—always asking, always searching, always seeking, never finding. Man's endless search for meaning is taken as proof that truth doesn't exist. In reality, it's the proof that we're limited by finitude and sin. If we want answers, we won't find them in ourselves. We have to stop trusting self, and trust the God who has revealed the meaning of life in His Word. -- Woodland Park Bible Church is located in North County, San Diego. Listen, read & learn more at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠wpbcSanMarcos.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://wpbcsanmarcos.org/].

Contentment, Part 5: God’s Audacity

Text: Ecclesiastes 8:15 -- Speaker: Tony de la Riva -- Wait a minute… God commands an attitude of joy in the midst of a world where sin keeps succeeding, injustice is the norm, and life is full of disappointment and frustration? That's outrageous! And yet, that's exactly what He does. The believer is not called to deny the pain of life "under the sun," but to receive God’s providential goodness with contentment and joy. Ironically, His aim is to teach us that joy and contentment can't be found in good things or better circumstances, but in trusting in Jesus and being content with His goodness while we live in this dark, uncertain world. -- Woodland Park Bible Church is located in North County, San Diego. Listen, read & learn more at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠wpbcSanMarcos.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://wpbcsanmarcos.org/].

When Bad Things Happen to Good People?

Text: Ecclesiastes 8:12–14 -- Speaker: Tony de la Riva -- Job is the very first book of the Bible to be written. Surprisingly, its message is that God is not karma. God is not simply handing out good and bad results according to what we do. The reality is much deeper: God is sovereign, just, and good. The good things in the world are the proof of that—but shockingly, so is the evil. God uses suffering to warn, to refine, and ultimately to do good in peoples' lives. As Solomon wrestles with what looks like injustice, his conclusion is not cynicism but faith—trusting that God will do what is right. -- Woodland Park Bible Church is located in North County, San Diego. Listen, read & learn more at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠wpbcSanMarcos.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://wpbcsanmarcos.org/].