In the sermon titled 'Of the Church, 1689 SLBC, Chapter 26, Par. 1,' Don Stubblefield explores the nature of the Universal Church, distinct from the Roman Catholic Church, as the assembly of the elect across time, given by the Father to the Son. The sermon emphasizes election, discussing how salvation is a monogistic work, entirely dependent on God's grace and not human effort. Key scripture references include John 6, Ephesians 1 and 2, and Hebrews 12. The sermon argues that faith is a divine gift, not earned by works, and that righteousness is imputed through Christ alone. The speaker highlights the necessity of being born again, as described in John 3, and the role of the Holy Spirit in this transformative process. The sermon concludes with a call to gratitude for God's work in believers' lives, acknowledging that while the reasons for election are unknown, it is a cause for continuous praise.

We will now take time, if two or three of them may have a word on the London Baptist Confession or the scripture. We will hear those at this time. The reference to the Catholic Church is, of course, is not the Roman Catholic Church, it's the Universal Church. It consists of the whole number of the elect that have been, that is in the past, or that is the present, or shall be in the future, gathered into one under Christ the head thereof. They are comprised of those whom the Father gave the Son from all eternity.

John 6 verse 37 and John 6, 44, 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." So the universal Catholic Church, as I understand it, and I believe the word teaches is that it's comprised of those whom the Father gave the Son from all eternity. In Ephesians 1 verse 4, according as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love. We are holy and without blame only through the imputation of Christ's righteousness to our account. And then in Hebrews 12, 14, without holiness no man shall see the Lord. So we're only holy through the amputation of Christ's righteousness to our account.

I believe it's in Isaiah 64. I believe it's verse 6. It says, all of our righteousnesses are as filthy rags. Everything we do is mixed with our sin nature, the remaining sin and corruption that we have. And God only accepts that which is perfect without any hint of evil.

Those whom the Father has given the Son from before the foundation of the world come to him by faith for by grace are you saved through faith." Ephesians 2 verses 8 and 9. And that not of yourselves, that is the faith is not of ourselves. This faith is a gift from God. It's not of works, lest any man should boast. If saving faith were from ourself, it would be a work and not a gift.

A gift cannot be earned otherwise it would not be a gift. Psalm 14 verses 2 & 3, 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. We're told there that none seeks God.

It has to be a work of his from beginning to end, a monogistic work. And then in Ephesians 2 verse 1, And you hath he quickened, that is, made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins." A dead man cannot do anything. I think of him from many years ago. It was called Throw Out the Lifeline. I think I've mentioned this before, but if someone is dead, they're basically, they cannot reach out their hand for anything.

We have nothing in ourselves to even participate in this gift of eternal life because there's nothing good in us. And apart from that work of God and raising us from the spiritually dead, we would have as I mentioned faced the flames of eternal hell. When God raises us from the spiritually dead, we come to him most willingly, we come to him most gratefully, but it's only because of that work he has done in us by raising us by his spirit from eternal death. Otherwise we would never come to him as we read in the passage in Psalm 14, there is none that seeketh after God. In other words, we're not a drug kicking and screaming to God, as many of the anti-Calvinists would say.

They think it's where God saves us against their own will but he has to change our will and when he changes our will we come most willingly and gratefully and thankfully for what he has done for us and raising us from the spiritually dead. And so if we're a part of the Catholic, the Universal Church of God, we should thank God continuously for this precious indescribable gift and we will be thanking him for it through all eternity. And then in a passage in John chapter 3, you might turn to your chapter 3 of John. There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. The same came to Jesus by night and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God for no man can do these miracles that thou doest except God be with him.

Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily I say unto thee except a man be born again he cannot see the kingdom of God. Born again means from above. The Greek is anothen, which it basically means from above. And from above means by the Spirit of God. Nothing in and of ourselves.

Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter the second time into his mother's womb and be born? Of course he's still thinking of physical birth, he's not thinking about the Spirit. Jesus answered, barely, barely, I say unto thee, accept a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is Spirit.

Marvel not that I said unto thee, He must be born again. The wind bloweth where it lusteth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell once it comes or cometh, and whither it goeth. So is every one that is born of the Spirit." This wend here is a reference to the Holy Spirit. We do not know who the elect are. The Spirit raises from the dead those whom the Father has given the Son from all eternity.

We do not hope no who the elect are, and therefore we are to be faithful in carrying out the Great Commission to take the gospel to every nation and people in time, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe whatsoever, I have commanded you even unto the end of the age. And so it's made plain right here in John chapter 3 that it's the work of the Spirit and it's from above. It's not from anything in man. And as I said earlier, we come most willingly when he raises us from the spiritually dead. We see what our plight was, our condition, and we cannot help but be grateful and thankful for what he has done.

We do not know, as I've said before, why God has chosen some and not others. He didn't choose us because of any good he foresaw in us because from the passage in John 14 there was none who did good or would do good. They have all turned aside and so if he did not elect a certain number of the fallen seed of Adam for eternal life, none would have been saved. And so, as I said, we do not know why he may have chosen those who are in Christ, and we probably never may never know even through all eternity Why he would choose some and not others but it is a Work for which we are to praise him and and thinking about it he would have also Been perfectly justified if he had consigned every one of us to hell, the flames of eternal hell. Again, I'll repeat that we need to be praising him and thanking him every day for this work he has begun in us and for the promise in Philippians 1 6 that he which hath begun a good work in you will continue it until the day of Jesus Christ.

And so it's a monogistic work. He not only begins that work but he continues it until the day of Jesus Christ and apart from this we would have all fallen away. There is none good, there is none righteous, no not one. And our righteousness comes only through the perfect righteousness and beauty does by Jesus Christ.