Sound Teaching

Speaker: Josh Cox

A discussion of man’s accountability to God, and to one another.

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Invitation delivered by: Stan Cox

In Colossians 1:13-20, Paul describes the preeminence of Jesus Christ. He is not only our Savior, He is our Lord.

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Racism has always been a problem in the United States of America. Slavery in America was a racist institution. Today, the problems in dealing with militant Islamic terrorism, and illegal immigration are compounded by racist overtones.

I disagree with the view that if one emphasizes the rule of law, or if one opposes Islam as a false religion, he is a racist (as is sometimes claimed in the national discourse). However, it is obvious that the rhetoric being used by many is indicative of racial prejudice. It is also obvious to me in my observations of God’s people that racism is present in the church. This is shameful.

There are a number of scriptures to which we might refer that clearly teach racism is sinful. We might note James’ condemnation of personal favoritism in James 2:1-13. While the specific prejudice of the chapter is a preference for the rich over the poor, the principle can clearly be applied to preferences for one race above another. “If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself,’ you do well; but if you show partiality, you commit sin, and are convicted by the law as transgressors” (James 2:8-9). In fact, any scripture calling the Christian to love his fellow man, by principle, condemns racism.

Continue reading “Racism and the Christian” →

Matthew 14:53-58 records Jesus’ rejection by the citizens of Nazareth. This led Him to say, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own country and in his own house” (57). They thought they knew Jesus. They had watched Him grow up, knew Him to be “the carpenter’s son”, and could not reconcile the miracles and teaching of Jesus with their own flawed perception of the man.

Interestingly, they acknowledged Jesus had “wisdom” and had performed “mighty works.” But, they were unwilling to accept the obvious, that Jesus was the Messiah as He claimed to be. They instead insisted that their existing perceptions of the man were correct, despite the evidence to the contrary. So, “they were offended at Him” (57).

After Jesus explanation as to why they were not accepting Him, Matthew records, “Now He did not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief” (vs. 58). They saw sufficient proof, but it had not swayed them. Further efforts to establish His credentials would be futile (cf. Luke 16:31), and so He did not try.

The same is true today. People reject Jesus as the Messiah, not because of a dearth of evidence, but because of their own preconceptions. Some believe religion to be mere superstition; others place their trust in science; many deny the possibility of a supernatural resurrection from the dead. The proof matters not, they will not believe. Regardless, the proof that Jesus is the Christ is abundant and sure!

There are two models followed in an attempt to attain unity among God’s people. The first is an attempt to have unity amidst diversity. In effect, to go along to get along. Those who follow this model claim that doctrine is unimportant, and will not contend with those who believe differently than themselves. The idea is that God is love, and is accepting of all of us, no matter what we believe or teach.

The second model consists of defending truth. It is the Biblically based model. It certainly excludes those who are unwilling to hold to truth, but allows those who love God and His word to rally around a divine standard. Christians are told to: 1) All speak the same doctrine, and all have the same mind and judgment (cf. 1 Corinthians 1:10); 2) Be unified in the same way that the Son and the Father are unified (John 17:20-21); 3) Avoid doctrines which originate in the minds of men (Matthew 15:8-9); 4) And contend for the faith (Jude 3).

In the first model those who contend for the faith are the ones who are castigated as divisive. “There wouldn’t be a problem if you weren’t so contentious!”

In the second, Biblical model, those who contend for the faith are acknowledged to be defending the unity of the Spirit. Those who teach error that are the ones identified as guilty of causing division and strife.

To which model do you ascribe?

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What does God love? How about the opposite of the things he hates?

“These six things the Lord hates, yes, seven are an abomination to Him: A proud look, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that are swift in running to evil, a false witness who speaks lies, and one who sows discord among brethren” (Proverbs 6:16-19).

So, God loves the downcast eyes of the humble, a tongue that speaks truth, hands that protect the innocent, a heart that devises righteous plans, feet that are swift to do good, a true witness who tells the “truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth”, and one who promotes unity and brotherhood!

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The text of Hebrews 5:11-6:8 gives us six reasons some Christians fail to grow or mature:

* They have become dull of hearing (5:11)
* They think they have grown enough (5:12)
* They will not allow the word to change them (5:13-14)
*They are accustomed only to “milk” (5:12; 6:1-3)
* They fail to “press on” to maturity (6:1)
* They have already fallen away (6:4-8)

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Powerpoint Slides

As Christians, our service to God and His Son must be characterized by complete devotion (cf. Romans 6:15-23).

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Powerpoint Slides

In James 4, the Holy Spirit expressed the dangers associated with pride. For example, pride is one reason for strife among brethren. When one is selfish rather than selfless, the basis for conflict is present. James quoted the proverb, “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble” (vs. 4).

Pride is also a contributor to worldliness. Men are wont to do as they desire rather than what God requires. They exalt themselves above the will of the Almighty. We are counseled, “Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up” (vs. 10).

Pride leads one to unrighteous judgment. Men tend to exalt themselves as judges, and arbitrarily condemn others who do not meet their standards. “There is one Lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy. Who are you to judge another?” (vs. 12).

Continue reading “Taking Stock” →

In the first year of King Darius, Daniel offered up a prayer to God, confessing the sin of his people. The prayer is recorded in Daniel 9, and includes the following:

“O Lord, great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant and mercy with those who love Him, and with those who keep His commandments, we have sinned and committed iniquity, we have done wickedly and rebelled, even by departing from Your precepts and Your judgments” (4-5).

He later noted that “shame of face” belongs to all of Israel because of her sin.

Simply put, then and now, it is shameful for any man to depart from God’s precepts and judgments, substituting in their place his own. God’s word is a pattern for us, one to which we must limit ourselves and obey. If we do so, He will supply His mercy to us.

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A woman who had the rightly earned reputation as a sinner knelt at the feet of Jesus, anointing them with fragrant oil, and wiping them with the hair on her head.

In this action she exhibited faith in Jesus. Jesus told the master of the house, “her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much” (Luke 7:47). He then told her, “Your faith has saved you. Go in peace” (vs. 50).

Jesus told her to “Go in peace” because her sins were forgiven. There is no peace without the forgiveness of sins. When a man’s sins remain he is separated from God. No peace can be found without His presence in your life.

If your life is not blessed with the “peace of God, which surpasses all understanding” (Philippians 4:7), you need to have your sins forgiven. If you want help, contact us, we would love to study with you online or in person..

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I oppose abortion for one simple reason, I believe it to be the killing of an innocent human being. The premeditated killing of another human is murder. I believe abortion is murder.

I base my view that abortion is murder on two things. First, my understanding of how God views the unborn. There are numerous instances, some subtle, some overt, where God identifies the unborn as a child. For example, consider Luke’s description of the as yet unborn John, a cousin of Jesus, “And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb” (Luke 1:41). Second, my own senses. I have seen sonograms of unborn children, both static images and video. I have heard the heartbeat, I have felt the kicks of a child in the womb. It is obvious the babe in the womb is human, and alive.

I am disheartened and disgusted by the recent exchanges on the issue that have been reported in the media. Consider the following:

Continue reading “Why I Oppose Abortion” →

Invitation delivered by: Stan Cox

In Luke 16:19-31 Jesus tells his disciples about the rich man and Lazarus, who when they died went to Hades. The rich man, when tortured in the flame, was not burned up. Likewise, hell fire and condemnation are eternal in nature.

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1 Samuel, chapter 1 we have recorded for us the faithfulness of Samuel’s mother Hannah. She serves as a good example to us.

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A discussion of the significance of the first day of the week in the New Covenant.

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