This sermon emphasizes the importance of recognizing Christ as the head of the Church and the unity of all believers in Christ Jesus, regardless of background or culture. It highlights how through the work of the Lord Jesus, believers are made one in Christ, breaking down barriers and creating a unified body. The imperative to love all believers is stressed, not based on emotions but as a command to give of oneself for others, mirroring God's sacrificial love.

Even in practical matters, it's vested in the Lord and in no one else. The point is, no one man is the sole expression of the mind of the Spirit. No one individual has authority from God to direct the Church. The title of the article from which that was taken was, Should the Pastor Play Pope? Should the Pastor Play Pope? So that's a great truth. Christ is the head of the Church. It's brought out very strongly in Paul's letter to the Colossians. He presented it in that way, perhaps in the most forceful manner. Second truth that we want to look at, great truth of the Church, is this, that all believers are members. Ephesians chapter 2, verses 11 through 22. Ephesians chapter 2, please. And verse 11, Therefore remember that ye, once Gentiles in the flesh, who are called uncircumcision by what is called the circumcision made in the flesh by hands, that at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus ye who were once far off, have been made near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of partition between us. Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, that he might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity. And he came and preached peace to you who were far off, and to those who were near. For through him we both have access by one spirit to the Father. Now therefore you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God. Having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone, in whom the whole building being joined together grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a habitation of God in the Spirit. Paul is telling here how in a wonderful way through the work of the Lord Jesus at the cross, he takes these believing Jews and believing Gentiles who were at enmity with one another. Many of the Jewish people believed that God made Gentiles as fuel for the flames of hell. That's enmity. And it created a tremendous rift in humanity, that rift between Jews. It was actually established by the law, the law of God that set Israel apart as God's chosen earthly people. But now in the work of the Lord Jesus, believing Jews and believing Gentiles are made one in Christ. And Paul is explaining how that has happened here in this marvelous passage of Scripture. What does that mean to us? We must recognize every indicative has an imperative. We must recognize the unity of the body of Christ, that all true believers are one in Christ Jesus. This has to do with the reception policy of our local assembly. We must receive into our fellowship all of those who have the brand mark of redemption upon them, without regard to their color, race, nationality, color, I say, or culture. Of course, the Rara wanted to accept that we would not receive someone who's underdisciplined from some other Christian fellowship, would we? That has to be taken place, has to be taken care of at their own fellowship. A person really must be a believer, sound in doctrine, holy in walk, and not underdisciplined from some other assembly. The truth of one ship in Christ means we should love all believers, love all believers. Any who've been in the armed forces know this in a real way, what a joy it is to meet someone who names the name of Christ. Perhaps you're far from home, perhaps you're in the war, and all of a sudden someone comes along with a witness for the Savior, and you realize there's a bond there, a bond in Christ, and it's very real. We should love all believers. And remember that in the New Testament sense, love is more a matter of the will than it is of the emotions. We think of love in this country today as, you know, kind of something that comes upon you, some romantic idea that comes upon you like the flu or a cold or something like that, and you have no control over it at all. But that isn't the case at all. Love is commanded. You say, well, how can I love? By giving. God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. Christ also loved the church and gave himself for it. We can show our love to people by giving ourselves for them, laying down our lives if necessary for the brethren. We need all other believers, because that's why I read that passage from 1 Corinthians 12, the members of the body. We need the members of the body, don't we, in order to function properly. And this is true in the universal body of Christ. We need one and other. And we can learn from other believers even if we don't agree with them doctrinally. Let me just pause on that for a moment. All believers agree on the fundamental doctrines of the Christian faith. You say, what?