In his sermon, Don Stubblefield emphasizes the importance of unity in the body of Christ and warns against division over non-essential matters of faith. Referencing 1 Corinthians 12:12-26, he underscores the value and necessity of each member of the Christian community, regardless of perceived importance. The sermon stresses the need to focus on the essentials of the faith, such as the deity of Christ, salvation by grace through faith, the resurrection, the preaching of the true gospel, monotheism, and the virgin birth. Stubblefield warns against false teachings and highlights the role of the Holy Trinity as central to Christian belief, urging believers to maintain vigilance against division and focus on the central tenets of Christianity.

In thinking about this, we must not allow matters of secondary importance, those that are not the essentials of the faith, to bring division and strife in the body of Christ. A passage of scripture comes to mind in that regard, 1 Corinthians 12, 12 through 26. For as the body is one and hath many members and all the members of that one body. Being many are one body, so also is Christ. For by one spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free, and have been all made to drink into one spirit for the body is not one member but many.

If the foot shall say because I'm not the hand I'm not of the body is it therefore not of the body and if the air shall say because I'm not the eye I'm not of the body is it therefore not of the body? If the whole body were an eye, were worth a hearing? If the whole were hearing, were worth the smelling. But now hath God set the members, every one of them, in the body as it hath pleased him. And if they were all one member, were worth the body.

But now are they many members yet but one body. And the eye cannot say unto the hand I have no need of thee nor again the head to the feet I have no need of you nay much more those members of the body which seem to be more feeble are necessary and those members of the body in which we think to be less honorable, upon these we bestow more abundant honor, and our uncomely parts have more abundant comeliness. For our comely parts have no need, but God hath tempered the body together, having given more abundant honor to that part which lacked, that there should be no schism in the body, but that the members should have the same care one for another. And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it. Or one member be honored, all the members rejoice with it.

So the goal is unity in the body of Christ and not to bring division and strife over those things that are not of essential importance. Which is not to say that there are not items that are not important and we should be concerned about them but they do not rise to the level of the essentials of our faith. Let us turn to first Timothy 6, 3 through 5. If any man teach otherwise and consent not to hold some words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness, he is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions and strifes of words. Whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmising.

Perverse disputings of man of corrupt minds and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness. From such, withdraw thyself." I think this is especially important to those people who think that unless you believe exactly the things they do, that you're really got a lot of problems on your hands. But our chief concern should be with the essentials of the faith. Someone once said, I can't remember where it was, the saying, the main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing. Satan, the arch enemy of our soul who hates God and all who belong to him is forever at work seeking to bring, discard, strife, and division among God's people.

1 Peter 5, 8, be sober, Be vigilant, because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion walketh about, seeking whom he may devour." So Satan is always trying to bring strife and discard in the body of Christ. And many times it's over and just non-essential things, things that are petty things. The essentials of our Christian faith must never in the least degree be compromised. Number one, the deity of Christ. I and my father are one.

John 10 verse 30 and then John 20 27 and 28. Then said he unto Thomas, reach hither thy finger and behold my hands, and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side, and be not faithless, but believing. And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God. So Thomas recognized Christ as being his Lord and his God. And I remember one time a Jehovah's Witnesses, I brought this verse out to this Jehovah's Witness and he said, well he was just taking the Lord's name in vain when he said, my Lord and my God.

So someone who believes that is really, you can't say how perilous a condition they're in if they do not believe that Christ is God. And then John chapter 8, verses 23 and 24, and he said unto them, Ye are from beneath, I am from above, ye are of this world, I am not of this world. I said therefore unto you, he's speaking to the Pharisees here, that you shall die in your sins, for if you believe not that I am he, you shall die in your sins. The Pharisees did not believe that he was God in the flesh. Same thing applies to Jehovah's Witnesses.

They're in the same camp. In connection with that, I think of the Council of Nicaea, I believe it was 325. Athanasius continued to ensail us that Jesus was God in the flesh. But Arian, upon which the Jehovah's Witnesses are a contemporary example, the Arians refused to believe that Jesus was God in the flesh. And so there was a saying that arose from that, Athanasius' Contramundum against the world because the world was not believing that Christ was God in the flesh.

Salvation is by the grace of God and not by works. In Ephesians 2, 8 and 9, For by grace are ye saved through faith, And that, that is faith, not of yourselves. It is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast. A gift cannot be earned, therefore it would not be a gift. And if it was a work of the faith came from ourselves, we could boast of it.

And we could say, well, I believe, but so-and-so doesn't believe. And it gives a reason to boast. But faith is a gift from God. It's a monogistic work, a gift of His alone. And apart from that work, there would be none who would be saved.

There would be none of Adam's seed that would have ever been saved. Because in Psalm 14, 1 through 3, I've noted several times, but there is none that seeketh after God. All have sinned and gone astray. And so without this work of God, His gift by grace through faith, there would be no person that would ever be saved and if we are a true child of God we should be thanking him every day for this gift which is far beyond anything we could ever imagine. Salvation is through Jesus Christ alone, Acts 4, 10 through 12.

Neither is there salvation in any other, for there is none other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved." And then, John 14 6, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man cometh unto the Father but by me. John 14, 6. Some teach that there are many, many roads to God. The Masons, I guess, I'm thinking of.

But they teach that there are many roads to God. What they're really teaching is, is they're on the wrong road. They're on the road to hell if they continued in that belief. As it has been well said, we are saved by grace alone, through faith alone, and Jesus Christ alone, all to the glory of God alone. And then we have the resurrection of Christ.

And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain and your faith is also vain. First Corinthians 15, 14. And then let us turn to John chapter two, 18 to 21. Then answered the Jews and said unto him, What sign showest thou unto us, seeing that thou doest these things? Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.

Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and Wothou reared up in three days, but he spake of the temple of his body. So they did not, The Pharisees did not believe that he would rise from the dead. And then we have the preaching of the gospel of 1 Corinthians 15, 1 through 4. Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also you have received and wherein you stand, by which also you are saved if you keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless you have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures, and that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures.

So if Christ be not raised again from the dead neither would we. We would all man be most miserable if Christ had not been raised from the dead. Galatians 1, verses 8 and 9, But though we or an angel from heaven preach any other gospel unto you than that which We have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, if any man preach any other gospel unto you, then that ye have received, let him be accursed. Jehovah's Witnesses are a good example of that.

They're preaching another gospel. No telling how many other cults are teaching a false gospel. And then we have monotheism, which is one God. There is one God and three persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. I don't think the human mind can fully grasp all of this, but the Word of God clearly teaches it, and we are to clearly and firmly believe it, that there's only one God, and we were not to be like these idol worshipers.

They concoct all manner of things to which to worship and place their trust in. In Exodus 20 verse 3, the first commandment, thou shalt have no other gods before me. And then in Isaiah 43, 10 and 11, I am he before me, there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me. I, even I, am the Lord, and beside me there is no Savior and then a first Corinthians 8 5 and 6 For though there be that are called gods, whether in heaven or in earth, as there be gods many and lords many, but to us there is but one God, the Father of whom are all things, and we in him, and one Lord Jesus Christ by whom are all things and we by him. And then the Holy Trinity and the Great Commission, Matthew 28, 19, go ye therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

Then in John 14-16, and I, Jesus, will pray the Father and he shall give you another Comforter, which is the Holy Spirit, that he may abide with you forever." The three members of the Trinity are all present in that one verse. And there are several other verses, and I didn't write them all down, but there are several verses that bring out the Trinity, all in a matter of one or two verses. Then we have the virgin birth of Christ in Matthew 1, 23, which is referred to in Isaiah 7, verse 14, therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign, behold a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Emmanuel. If it weren't for the virgin birth through the Spirit of God, Jesus could not have been sinless. And so that is an essential of the faith is believing in the virgin birth of Christ.

And with that I believe I I'll wrap it up.