In his sermon on the 1689 London Baptist Confession, Chapter 26, Paragraph 5, Don Stubblefield delves into the theological concepts of election and salvation. The sermon references several biblical passages, including John 6:37, John 6:44, and Ephesians 1:4-5, emphasizing that Jesus calls people to Himself through His Word and Spirit, and those who are given to Him by the Father will be saved. Stubblefield distinguishes between the universal call of the gospel and the specific effectual call to the elect, refuting the Universalist interpretation that all will be saved. The Great Commission is highlighted as a crucial command, urging believers to preach the gospel without knowing who the elect are. The sermon also covers the significance of sacraments, specifically baptism and the Lord's Supper, as instituted by Christ, contrasting them with additional rites observed by the medieval church. Lastly, Stubblefield discusses the marks of a true church: the pure doctrine of the gospel, proper administration of sacraments, and church discipline.

We will take time if two or three of the men have a word on what we've heard from the London Baptist Confession and Scripture. We will hear those at this time. In the London Baptist Confession, it says, It says the Lord Jesus calleth out of the world unto himself through the ministry of his word by his spirit Those that are given unto him by his father And John 6 verse 37 it says all that the Father giveth me shall come to me and him that cometh to me I will and no wise cast out and then in John 6 44 and the words of our Savior No man can come to me except the Father which hath sent me draw him, and I will raise him up at the last day. And the verse read by Phil, John 12, 32. And I, if I be lifted up from the earth will draw all men unto me.

All means all kinds of people without distinction, not all members of the human race without exception. If Jesus died for all persons universally, all persons universally would be saved as taught by the heretical cult of the Unitarian Universalists as opposed to Matthew 7, 13 and 14 which says that few are on the road to heaven and many there be on the road to hell. It's the complete opposite of what the Unitarians teach. If he died for all persons universally, but not all persons universally would be saved, a major part of his work would have been wasted, but none of his work is wasted. All of those for whom he died, those whom the Father gave him from all eternity, and those only will be saved.

And then in Ephesians one, four and five, according as he hath chosen us in him, that is in Christ, before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself according to the good pleasure of his will, not our will. We do not know whom the elect are, but the Great Commission, Matthew 28, 18 through 20, is a command, not an option. We do not know who the elect are. It could be some of the worst people we could imagine that God will bring to faith. I think of the Apostle Paul in that regard who was delivering up Christians to be even but to death.

But since we do not know who the elect are, we are to be faithful in carrying out the Great Commission to preach the gospel. And I appreciate what Steve does each one of you in preaching the gospel. It's a very important thing. It's carrying out of the Great Commission. God did not elect those whom he foreknew would choose him, because if it were those who would choose him then none would have have chosen him.

Let us turn to Psalm 14 verses 1 through 3. The fool hath said in his heart, there is no God, they are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good. The Lord looked down from heaven upon the children of men to see if there were any that did understand and seek God. They are all gone aside. They are all together become filthy.

There is none that doeth good. No, not one. So apart from God's election, there would be none of the human race would have been saved. It's a wonder to me that God would choose anybody to be saved. We all deserve the flames of eternal hell and God did not have to create man to complete anything that is lacking in him.

He would have been perfectly content through all eternity. He did not need man in order to complete anything that was lacking in him. It's a little sobering, but I think it keeps it, it should keep our attention and praise on God and not anything that we do. And God, I think I mentioned it before, God does this work of raising us from the spiritually dead at a point in time that we're not aware of. I'm speaking from my own experience and I started to seek God and I thought it was a work of my own but unless God had begun that work I would have never started to seek him and that's the way with everybody.

And then let's see, in the London Baptist confession that they may walk before him in all the ways of obedience, which he proscribeth to him and his word and the new performance of public worship. In a quote from the New Geneva study Bible As to the performance of public worship, Christ instituted two rights for his followers to observe. Baptism, a once-for-all initiation, Matthew 28, 19, and Colossians 3, 27, and the Lord's Supper, a regular rite of remembrance. 1 Corinthians 11, 23 to 26. Sacrament is from the Latin word meaning sacred.

Study of the Christian rites themselves leads to a definition of sacrament as a ritual action instituted by Christ in which signs perceived by the senses present to us the grace of God in Christ and the blessings of his covenant. They communicate and confirm these blessings to believers who, in receiving the sacraments, respond to God's grace and declare their faith and allegiance to Him. And a quote from the Westminster Confession, Chapter 27, Article 1, the sacraments put a visible difference between those that belong unto the church and the rest of the world. And then continuing with the Eugenieva Study Bible, quote, it was a mistake of the medieval church to classify as sacraments five more rights, confirmation, penance, marriage, ordination, and extreme auction. These five are not seals of a covenant relationship with God and were not instituted by Christ.

That is a quote from the New Geneva Bible and sacraments. And in thinking this, I think I believe the Roman Catholic Church still observes these five rights, if I'm not mistaken. I don't know whether any of the other churches do it or not, but they still observe these five rights in addition to baptism and the Lord's Supper. Then we have the marks of a true church. The pure doctrine of the gospel is preached.

The pure administration of the sacraments as instituted by Christ and Church discipline is exercised and punishing sin These are the marks of the true church And that with that I will go ahead and conclude.