Sound Teaching  This is the teaching site of the West Side church of Christ in Fort Worth, TX. Unless otherwise indicated, all materials were written and prepared by Stan Cox |
By Stan Cox, on February 21st, 2012
Last Sunday I used the phrase “the proof is in the pudding” while preaching. It is a phrase I had long heard, but some were wondering about it’s origin and meaning. So, I looked it up.
The phrase is actually a misquote of the phrase “the proof of the pudding” (which is fairly nonsensical), but is a shortened form of the phrase, “the proof of the pudding is in the eating,” which makes more sense. It means that to fully test something you need to experience it yourself. There are examples of the phrase being used early in the 17th century.
When I use it I intend a similar idea. That it is possible to claim something to be true, but claiming is not the same as demonstrating it to be so. There are numerous applications of this in scripture. For example, in the area of repentance. The apostle Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 7:11 about the Corinthians proving of themselves, “For observe this very thing, that you sorrowed in a godly manner: What diligence it produced in you, what clearing of yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what vehement desire, what zeal, what vindication! In all things you proved yourselves to be clear in this matter.”
When it comes to repentance, the proof of the pudding is in the eating. It is not enough to say you are sorry for your sin, you must prove it in your life. Makes sense!
By Stan Cox, on February 1st, 2012
 I am sitting in my office, waiting for a call from a service manager about our broken printer. Yes, that printer which broke down back on January 22nd. I called on the following Tuesday morning to schedule a service call, and have been given the runaround since.
It is actually a humorous story. We originally bought the machine from a local company called Denitech rather than online. The reason was the salesman’s desire to “do me a favor” in the hope that if we wanted more expensive equipment in the future, we would contact him. We chose this particular printer because it had a 1 year warranty (rather than 90 days), and because Xerox equipment we used previously proved to be dependable.
Continue reading » In the News: Printers and Accountability
By Stan Cox, on January 28th, 2012
 Friday night the Castleberry girl’s basketball team won a game with the most exciting finish you can imagine. They were playing Mineral Wells, and were shorthanded. One of their players had blown an ACL ligament the previous week, and was out for the season. Their best player had a virus, and though she was playing, was struggling physically. None of their shots were falling, and they were down 12 points to start the fourth quarter.
The deficit continued until about halfway through the quarter, and then all of a sudden the shots started falling. The girls knew they had to win to keep their hopes of going to the playoffs alive. They dug down deep, and narrowed the deficit to one point. With 2.6 seconds left, Castleberry had the ball out of bounds. Josh (my son is the coach) drew up a play, and their best player banked home the shot for the win. The stands erupted, the girls (and Josh) went crazy, and everyone cheered.
Continue reading » In the News: Last Second Shot!
By Stan Cox, on December 18th, 2011
In the Apostle Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians, he discusses their repentance, following his previous letter of admonition. The Corinthians exhibited proper indignation (toward self), and by their actions were vindicated in the eyes of God and man.
Audio
By Stan Cox, on December 17th, 2011
 I recently was sent an article titled, “Do We Have A Catechism?”, written by Ken Green. The form the article took, and the comments following, indicate that brother Green had posted it to his Facebook page.
Though brother Green gave no specifics in the article, it was critical of the preaching and attitudes of Christians in the past. Notice the following two quotes:
We do not have catechism classes that insist on the rote learning of the proper responses to various questions about God, Christ, the Holy Spirit, the church, faith, baptism, worship, and other doctrines. But, by and large, our people have done quite well in memmorizing (sic) things they can recite on a moment’s notice, while, too often, having little understanding of the material and never really growing in the grace and knowledge of the Lord.
But there was a stretch of many years when at least a couple of generations grew up in our churches without hearing much about love, grace and forgiveness and how we’re supposed to treat each other, and it had some devastating effects.
Brother Green took issue with the call made for “distinctive preaching” and said that what was meant is that we should be “reciting the catechism.” It is becoming fairly common to hear a rather dismissive attitude towards the faith and practice of earlier generations of Christians. This is unfortunate.
Continue reading » In the News: Criticizing the Five Step Plan
By Stan Cox, on October 19th, 2011
Invitation delivered by: Joshua Scroggins
Josh uses the text of Acts 26:28 and the lyrics of the song “Almost Persuaded” to exhort the audience to make the decision to serve Christ acceptably while time and opportunity remains.
Audio
By Stan Cox, on September 18th, 2011
The Title of this sermon refers to Ezra’s reading of the law to the remnant of Israel (Nehemiah 8:8), and giving a sense (explaining the law) so that his listeners could understand. This sermon is an exegesis of Peter’s sermon on Pentecost, (Acts 2).
Sermon Audio: Click Here .
By Stan Cox, on August 28th, 2011
The Parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32) teaches us four lessons. 1) The danger of ingratitude; 2) The Necessity of Repentance; 3) The Mercy and Compassion of God; and 4) The Importance of Rejoicing in the salvation of sinners.
Sermon Powerpoint: Click Here .
Sermon Audio: Click Here .
By Stan Cox, on March 23rd, 2011
By Stan Cox, on March 13th, 2011
As we contemplate man’s vulnerability in the face of the earthquake and Tsunami in Japan, there are lessons to be learned about man’s responsibility to God. In the sermon, reasons are given why men reject God, and the call to repentance as we respond with Job, “I abhor myself, And repent in dust and ashes” (Job 42:6).
Sermon Audio: Click Here .
By Stan Cox, on February 20th, 2011
Stan here preaches a straitforward first principle lesson on the conditions God has placed upon man. In other words, the five steps any man must complete to be saved by God. As simple as this is, it is often misunderstood or denied by the religious world.
Sermon Powerpoint: Click Here .
Sermon Audio: Click Here .
By Stan Cox, on December 12th, 2010
The lesson is an expository sermon on the text of Ephesians 4:17-24. One puts off the old man, and through repentance and conversion, puts on the new man.
Sermon Audio: Click Here .
By Stan Cox, on December 20th, 2009
 Just about everyone knows who Tiger Woods is. He is the most famous golfer, and perhaps the most famous athlete in the world. He has also become one of the most infamous athletes due to being a serial philanderer.
Numerous women have been linked to him. Despite initial denials it was obvious that he had been unfaithful to his wife on numerous occasions with multiple mistresses. When denials proved futile, he finally admitted his infidelity, and has taken a sabbatical from golf to try to save his marriage, and regain the trust of his wife.
Continue reading » In The News: A Philandering Tiger
By Stan Cox, on August 9th, 2009
The Sermon points out, It isn’t possible to have a relationship with God:
- If you don’t know about Him.
- If you refuse to Repent.
- If you neglect Obedience.
- If you reject Jesus Christ.
- If you don’t listen to, or talk to Him.
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.
Sermon PowerPoint: Click Here .
Sermon Audio: Click Here .
By Stan Cox, on July 12th, 2009
In 1 Corinthians 15, the Apostle admonished the Corinthians who did not believe in the resurrection, indicating they should be ashamed. It is the purpose of preaching and admonition to shame individuals who are in sin. We all should be ashamed when we:
- Participate in Ungodliness
- Lack Knowledge
- Uphold Those Who Teach Error
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Sermon PowerPoint: Click Here .
Sermon Audio: Click Here .
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