The sermon by Don Stubblefield, titled 'Of the Church, 1689 SLBC, Chapter 26, Par. 10', examines the themes of the church as a spiritual house and the concept of Christ as the cornerstone. Drawing from 1 Peter 2:1-10, the speaker emphasizes the role of believers as a holy priesthood offering spiritual sacrifices, contrasting with the Old Testament sacrificial system. The sermon explores the continuity between Old Testament Israel and the New Testament church while affirming a special purpose for Israel. It discusses divine sovereignty and human responsibility, using Romans 9:14-24 to illustrate God's mercy and authority. The speaker warns against nations gathering against Jerusalem, citing Zechariah 12, and underscores the importance of being prepared for God's judgment. The sermon concludes with a discussion on the marks of a true church: the preaching of pure gospel doctrine, the administration of sacraments, and church discipline, referencing Matthew 18:15-20.

We will now take time if two or three of the men have a word on the London Babsies Confession or scripture. We will air that at those at this time. In connection with this passage, I thought of 1 Peter chapter 2, 1 through 10. Eric, would you mind reading that passage if everybody will stand while you read that passage? First Peter 2, 1 to 10.

Wherefore, laying aside all malice and all guile, and hypocrisies and envies and all evil speakings, as newborn babes desire the sincere milk of the word that ye may grow thereby. If so be, ye have tasted death, the Lord is gracious. To whom coming as unto a living stone, this allows me as man, the chosen of God, precious. Ye also as likely stones are built up in a spiritual house and wholly appreciated to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. Wherefore also it is contained in the scriptures, behold, I lay in Zion a chief cornerstone, the left precious, and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded.

Unto you therefore which believe he is precious, but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builder would disallow, the same is made the head of the corner. And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient, wherein to also they were appointed. But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people, that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out into darkness into his marvelous light. The Pentecosts were not a people, but are now the people of God, which hath not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy. Amen.

You may be seated. In the New Geneva Study Bible there's an interesting commentary on this passage. The living stone is a crisis, this stone, which is mentioned in 1 Corinthians 10 verse 4. The image of rock and stone is common in the Old Testament. Psalm 118 verse 22, Isaiah 8 verse 14 and Isaiah 28 verse 16 and as applied by Jesus to himself in Matthew 21 verse 42 Living indicates that Christ is the source and giver of life.

John 1 verse 4, 1 Corinthians 15 verse 45. Spiritual house, the background of the symbolism is the Old Testament temple as the house or dwelling place of God. The church and dwelt by the Holy Spirit is the true temple of God. 2nd Corinthians 6 verse 16, Ephesians 2, 19 through 22, and Hebrews 3 verse 6. Holy priesthood, the phrase, is that every true believer is a priest, as mentioned in verse 9, in the sense of having equal and immediate access to God and serving Him personally.

The phrase spiritual sacrifice is also in verse 5. As Christ wants for all sacrifice of propitiation on the cross, has fulfilled the Old Testament sacrificial system and rendered it obsolete, Hebrews 8 verse 13, Hebrews 10, 9 and 10, and verse 18, the appropriateness of sacrifice understood as the grateful response of a redeemed people remains. These sacrifices are spiritual in contrast to all the material sacrifices prescribed in the Old Testament sacrificial system. Such sacrifice is seen both in the Hebrews worship or in the Christians worship and pattern of living. Mentioned in Romans 12 verse 1, I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service." The praise acceptable to God through Jesus Christ is the priesthood of all believers depends on the eternal high priesthood of Christ, through whose once for all sacrifice and continual intercession both Christians personally and their sacrifices are acceptable to God.

Hebrews 13, 15, and 16. Cornerstone, verse 6, is the great stone laid for the foundation at the place where two walls come together and of special importance for the stability of the entire building. The church is established on the prophets and apostles who are held together by the chief cornerstone, Christ. Ephesians 2 verse 20. They also were appointed in verse 8 of our passage.

This verse teaches both divine sovereignty and human responsibility. People are condemned or stumbled because they are disobedient. But this disobedience does not occur apart from the sovereign will of God. Let us turn to Romans 9, 14 through 24, which illustrates the sovereignty of God and everything that happens. What shall we say then is their unrighteousness with God?

God forbid, for he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy. For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might show my power in thee, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth. Therefore, hath he mercy on whom he will, have mercy on whom he will, he hardeneth. Thou wilt say then unto me, what hath he yet find fault For who hath resisted his will?

Nay, but O man, who art thou that reprised against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that farmed it, why hast thou made me thus? Hath not the potter power over the clay of the same lump to make one vessel unto honor and another unto dishonor? What if God, willing to show his wrath and to make his power known, endeared with much long suffering, the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction, and that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy which he had afore prepared unto glory. That afore, as I understand it, refers even before the foundation of the earth, the world.

Even I assume he hath called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles. A comment from the New Geneva study Bible on verses 9 and 10. Peter's language in these verses applying the Old Testament terms for Israel to the church asserts the continuity between Old Testament Israel and the New Testament church representing them as the one people of God. I believe though that God still has a special purpose for Israel as Israel. Let us turn to Zechariah chapter 12.

That's the next to the last book in the Old Testament. Verses 1 through 3. The burden of the word of the Lord for Israel, saith the Lord, which stretcheth forth the heavens and layeth the foundation of the earth and formeth the spirit of man within him. Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about when they shall be in the siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem and in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people All that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it." And then verse 6, In that day will I make the governors of Judah like an earth of fire among the wood and like a torch of fire and a sheaf and they shall devour all the people round about on the right hand and on the left and Jerusalem shall be inhabited again in her own place even in Jerusalem And then verses 8 through 10 In that day shall the Lord defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem and he that is feeble among them at that day shall be as David and the house of David shall be as God as the angel of the Lord before them and this shall come to pass in that day that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem and I will pour upon the house of David and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem the spirit of grace and of supplications and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced and they shall mourn for him as one mourneth for his only son and shall be in bitterness for him as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn and Thinking about this I think of the followers of the idol of Islam, they need to wake up because they're included in all of these nations that come against Jerusalem.

And this sign is getting stronger every day. We do not know when it's going to happen but I see it coming and we're to be prepared and those nations that gather against Jerusalem they better think about it again because it's going to be quite a day when they face God himself. I don't think that there's gonna be any doubt who's gonna win this battle. Then, To wrap it up, the marks of the true church I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, the pure doctrine of the gospel is preached, the pure administration of the sacraments as instituted by Christ, two sacraments, baptism and the Lord's Supper, not seven sacraments as taught by Roman Catholicism. And then church discipline, let us turn to Matthew 18, 15 through 20.

I believe a couple of those verses have already been read. Moreover, if thy brother shall trespass against thee, Go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone. If he shall hear thee, thou hast came thy brother. But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church.

But if he neglects to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican. Verily I say unto you whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Again I say unto you that if two of you shall agree on earth as touching anything that they shall ask it shall be done for them of my father which is in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them." Another quote from the New Geneva study Bible on the phrase, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and Republican. Such individuals are to be cut off from the fellowship and suspended from full social relations with other Christians Paul applies this discipline in first Corinthians chapter 5 and a first Timothy 1 verse 20 Apart from their coming to a genuine repentance the church at Corinth where this man was engaged in illegal relationship and he reprove the church at Corinth for allowing this to continue and not bringing a correction and discipline to this man who was engaged in this practice.

And later on, I didn't write down the scripture, but apparently he came to repentance later on. He repented of his deeds, but the church did not want to receive him back anyway. So they went from one extreme to the other. At first they didn't want to discipline the man, and then when he repented they didn't want to receive him back. So they want this from one end, one grave error to another.

Go ahead and wrap it up at this point.