Sound Teaching

Even as I seek to spur you on to greater faithfulness and fruitfulness each week from the pulpit, I do so with the full realization that the West Side congregation is special. Some men look for greener grass on the other side of the fence, but I know that there is no place more verdant than Fort Worth, TX. Twenty years have passed. This is our home, and you are our family. We are truly blessed. And for that we love you, and thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

Paul, as a preacher, should be emulated by Christians. He preached plainly the whole counsel of God, despite persecution and a lack of support. And he did it all with joy and zeal.

Please be careful before forwarding an email. Don’t do it unless you have completely verified its content. If you forward a lie, you can rest assured that someone you sent it to will keep the lie going, thinking that they can trust you. “If Stan sent it, it must be true.” If you don’t know how to verify the post, don’t send it, and don’t believe it. Most of these types of messages are either inaccurate or false. In the end they do more harm than good in the defense of Truth.

The divine wisdom of God has established the roles of men and women in the home. The husband is the head, and must be deferential and loving in his treatment of his wife. The wife is submit to the leadership of her husband in the home (Ephesians 5:22-33; 1 Peter 3:1-7).

Jesus was plain in His preaching (cf. John 10:22-28), as were the apostles (cf. 2 Cor. 3:12). We should strive to be as well. The sermon describes 5 areas where plain speech is needed in teaching others:

• How to be saved from sins
• The Nature of the Church of Christ
• Assembled worship is required of Christians
• Christians are called to godly living
• A Judgment is coming!

Love is of the utmost importance in any relationship. This is especially so in the relationships sustained with the brethren. The Christian needs to have a fervent, sincere love for his brothers and sisters in Christ, that abounds, and knits them together in unity.

A proper understanding of why the Christian has hope will dispel much of the religious error surrounding the concept, and will benefit the child of God by increasing his assurance based upon his faith in God.

This sermon establishes certain attributes of God, and correlates the attributes with what is required of the child of God in response. God Is:

• Spirit
• True
• Light
• Love
• Faithful
• One

Are you happy? It is an important question. But the second is equally important. WHY? Upon what do you base that happiness? Think about it.

The character of Ruth serves as a sterling example to all women, and men, concerning the comeliness of loyalty to others.

How sad it is that this pursuit of liberty and happiness has become so twisted in our present day. Our founding fathers recognized that liberty comes with a price. That price is personal responsibility.

Stated Positively: If you will seek to learn about God and know Him; if you will acknowledge your sin and repent; let faith and love produce obedience; trust in Christ, listen to God and pray to Him — You can enjoy a relationship with your Creator, that begins here on earth and is consummated in eternity.

Pitfalls are traps set by Satan, that are not always immediately evident. Satan makes his enticements seem sometimes innocent, and always enticings. We must be on Guard, because:

• Strong Drink is a Pitfall
• Dancing is a Pitfall
• Evil Companionship is a Pitfall
• Fault Finding is a Pitfall

While many believe the Bible to be difficult to understand, thus making their opinion (no matter how uniformed) as valid as any other, in reality the Bible is very simple and clear with regard to God’s plan of Salvation for man. The sermon covers a simple method of converting the sinner to Christ, using Acts 2 as a narrative.

Athiests are looking in the wrong place when they seek to find the origins of life and the universe. They look in space, when the answer is right in front of them in black and white: “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1).