If you would like you to turn
to the epistle of Jude, which is the next to last book in the
Bible, right in front of revelations, just, it's just one chapter.
And I'm just going to read the first three verses of Jude verse one, Jude, the servant
of Jesus Christ. and brother of James, to them
that are sanctified by God the Father and preserved in Jesus
Christ and called. Mercy unto you and peace and
love be multiplied. Beloved, when I gave all diligence
to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for
me to write unto you and exhort you that you should earnestly
contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints. And I'm gonna stop right there. I wanna speak today, and this
is the title, Paul, The Common Salvation. The Common Salvation. Now, before I get started into
what The Common Salvation is, I do want to emphasize at first
what it's not do the negative than the positive, because I
know how some people read this and I know how we view the word
common. Most of the time, wrongly, especially
concerning this verse, because this verse where it says the
common salvation, it does not mean that it is ordinary. It
does not mean that it's every day. This is not a difference
between common and uncommon. Common salvation is not everywhere
and in everyone, no matter what anyone says. That's not what
Jude is teaching here. It's not what he's writing. It
is the common salvation because it is the one salvation. And this is the common salvation
because there is only one Lord, one faith, one baptism. There is one body, one spirit,
one hope of your calling. And one God and Father above
all and in you all if you know this common salvation. So I want to speak of this salvation.
It's common, and the word common, I looked at it, it's in strong
concordance with the very first definition. Literally, it means
shared by all. That's what it means. It's not
common or uncommon, it is common among us. Who are these? Those that are sanctified by
God the Father, preserved in Jesus Christ, and called. This
is not just written to the elect, this is written to those who
have been called out by Jesus Christ. Believers. The salvation that we all have
is common among us. Now I'm speaking from man's point
of view because that's where I'm coming from right now. And
to be specific, I'm speaking from a saved man's point of view. Because this common salvation
is common of all of the children of God. And by that, I mean all the children
of God that he has called out. It doesn't matter whether you're,
what, old or young. if you know Christ. It doesn't
matter if you're rich or poor. It doesn't matter if you're barbarian
or Scythian, Jew and Gentile. This one common salvation, I know how some are. There are those who still to
this day teach that people in the Old Testament were saved
a different way than the people in the New Testament. It ain't
so. The salvation of Noah and Mary
Magdalene is the same. It's Christ. The salvation of
Abraham and Apollos, Moses and Paul, Isaiah and Cornelius. It's all the common salvation.
When Jude was writing this, all there was was some letters and
the Old Testament. He didn't include anybody out. Those outside don't understand. There has been,
there is now, and there always shall be only one salvation,
only one. So what is this common salvation?
Please notice that I'm not asking who is the common salvation because
the who is without debate. Jesus Christ is our salvation.
God, salvation is of the Lord. Salvation is from the Lord. That point is not up for debate.
That point is not up for question. Now, yes, I know there are those
who will debate. They'll debate anything and just
hang around long enough. You'll probably see it, but I
won't debate who is our salvation. I'm not going to debate what
our salvation is either, but because I believe the scripture
and it's plain. But Jesus Christ is our common
salvation, his coming in true humility, his perfect, holy life,
from his birth to his death, his supremely satisfying sacrifice,
resurrection, and offering to the Father, and his calling out
of his sheep by name. He is our common salvation. Our
salvation is in a person, his continual intercession for us,
for all of his people. And all of that, he is our salvation,
which means the source of our common salvation is God. It all starts with God. There's
no question of this. I won't debate about this either.
The source of salvation is God. The source of salvation is not
God and man. It is God alone. People who want to debate that,
they have a name for them in the scripture. It's called a
fool. David said in Psalms 2, why do
the heathen rage? Why do they take counsel and
conspire against God? And Peter, when quoting him in
Acts added, they take counsel against God and against his Christ. All that shows is that they are
heathen. So let the heathen rage. I'm okay with the scripture.
Those who know this common salvation have no doubt of this, that salvation
is from the Lord. God the Father, God the Son,
and God the Spirit, these three are one, and the one true God
is the author and finisher of salvation. God made the covenant
with himself. He didn't make the covenant with
man that our Lord fulfilled. He came and perfectly fulfilled
the will of the Father in the redemption and the salvation
of His people. God made salvation His business,
not His and ours. All those that He chose from
before the foundation of the world in His Son, in Christ,
He shall save. So again, what is the common
salvation? Jude wrote it here in three things.
In verse one, he's writing this letter to them that are sanctified
by God the Father, that's one. They are preserved, preserved
in Jesus Christ, that's two. And the third thing is, they
are called, they are called. The common salvation is to be
sanctified by the Father. We are set apart. That's what
the word means. We are set apart by God the Father. If you believe Christ now, you
were, this past tense, you were set apart by the Father. All
these things are in past tense. If you believe, Jude writes all
three of these things in the past tense. When were we sanctified
by the Father? I know one place. Ephesians one
and verse three says, blessed be the God and Father of our
Lord Jesus Christ who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings
in heavenly places in Christ. Verse four, 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. That's being set apart by the
Father. The setting apart took place before the foundation of
the world. We are sanctified, chosen in
Christ Jesus, set apart from before the foundation of the
world. Now, also we'll see Let's just back up for just a second
to Hebrews chapter 10, to where this came to pass. Chosen in
Christ Jesus from before the foundation of the world, set
apart. Hebrews 10 and verse 10 says,
this is speaking of Christ in his offering to the Father. Well, here in verse nine. Then
said he, lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the
first that he may establish the second, by the which will we
are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once. Now it says for all in italics
after there, but it stops right at once. We are sanctified by God the
Father through the offering of Jesus Christ. Sanctified by purpose, chosen
before the foundation of the world, and sanctified, set apart
by his body and his blood, his offering of himself to the Father. All believers, all believers,
are sanctified, have been sanctified by the Father, God the Father.
The second thing is, this common salvation is to be
preserved in Jesus Christ, preserved. We here do believe and do preach
of the perseverance of the saints. It's one of the five points of
Calvinism, they call it. We don't go into them a whole
lot, but we do believe in the perseverance of the saints. But
we also try to be very clear that the reason the saints persevere
is because you're preserved in Christ Jesus. It's not through
your own works, it's not through your own merit, even after salvation,
after conversion. I believe we do, but it's not
because of me. and it's not because of you.
We are preserved in Jesus Christ. Set apart by the Father and preserved
in Jesus Christ. I do not doubt the perseverance
of the saints because I do not doubt the preservation of Jesus
Christ. I have no doubt that all of Christ's
bride will be there at the marriage supper of the Lamb. I heard Henry
Mahan say it recording this morning on the way up here. He says there's
gonna be a seat for everyone and there's not gonna be any
vacant seats. If you don't go, don't worry, there's not an empty
chair there. But if you go, you're gonna have a seat at the marriage
supper of the Lamb. I like that thought. I like that thought. There's plenty of room for all,
but there won't be any openings. Christ's bride will not be maimed
in any way, shape, or form. It's not gonna be short of anything. We are preserved in Jesus Christ,
in Him, in the Lord of glory, the Lord of hosts. He is our
preservation, and that is the only reason we shall persevere. I love that statement, preserved
in Jesus Christ. And Jude tells us how we're preserved. Well, here,
let me look at this one. I like this one better. This
is 1 John 2, 19. Because it talks about those
that leave. We've had them leave here. We've had them leave here. Verse 19 of 1 John, chapter two. They went out from us. But, here's
the juxtaposition. They went out. It's a fact. 5,000 left our Lord right after
he finished preaching. After he repeated a statement
for the second time. From that, they turned and walked
no more with him. And we've had them walk out of
this assembly. Some mad, some not so mad. I don't know. But they left, and they left
the gospel. It's not like they went from
here to go somewhere else to hear the gospel preached. They
went out, what, from us, but they were not of us. But it doesn't stop there, either.
Because here's the hope, for, for, If they had been of us,
they would no doubt have continued. Why? Because they would be preserved
in Jesus Christ. If you're preserved in Jesus
Christ, you're gonna continue. You're gonna continue. He's gonna
work in you both the will and the do of his good pleasure.
You know what that means? You're gonna continue. If they
had been of us, they would no doubt continued with us. But they went out. But they went
out that they might be made manifest. It doesn't say that they might
be not of us. No, it's just being manifested.
This is the fact. If you leave the gospel, it means
you were never of the gospel. If you leave Christ, it means
you were never of Christ. Made manifest that they were
not all of us. We are, believers are, true believers
are preserved in Jesus Christ. Peter says it this way, we are
kept by the power of God. through faith, which is not of
yourselves. I mean, I understand that this
life is a struggle, but bless God, take some hope here. Take some confidence here, take
some comfort here. You're set apart by God, you're
preserved in Jesus Christ. What could go wrong, Walter?
Oh, my circumstances can go all to hell. Yeah, my circumstances
can go all to hell. It doesn't matter about my circumstances. My Lord is seated at the right
hand of the majesty on high and he ever lives, what? To make
intercession for me and for you, for us is what it says. But I'm
looking at this thing personally, because personally is all I got.
And when I'm in the midst of a mess, I'm sorry, I'm not thinking
of you people. I love you dearly, but I'm worried
about me and maybe not shooting somebody or something. When I
get vexed in my, I don't have an Irish. My Polish gets up,
I don't know. Whatever that means. I get mad. I know I'm up here and I'm nice
and calm and try to be amusing sometimes, preaching the gospel,
trying to keep you interested and preach his truth. But yes,
I get sorely vexed by this world at times. And I try not to let
it out. And it helps to know that I am
preserved in Jesus Christ. I'm not preserved in myself at
all. I'm not reserved in myself at all most of the time, but
I'm preserved, preserved, kept. He's holding fast to us. Those stones were on his chest
as well as on his shoulders. They're on his shoulders to bear
us, to carry us, but they were on his chest plate also because
that's where we're in his heart. All of this is done in love. There's no malice in our Lord
Jesus Christ. No malice at all. There's a righteous
holy anger sometimes, but not at his people. Not at the ones
he gave his life for, not at the ones he shed his blood for.
He loves his people. Now yes, he will put you in circumstances,
he will put you in tribulation which worketh patience. but that's
still for your good. And it's also for his glory.
But that's not malice. That's not even anger. That's
love. That's love. That is love. Afterwards, what's it say? It yields the peaceable fruit
of righteousness. He preserves us in every circumstance. The third thing is this common
salvation is to be called. Now this is where our Lord calls
us by name. This is not the gospel call that
Jude is referring to here, I don't believe at all. Because there
is a gospel call, and we are to preach the gospel. And that
gospel, men will reject or receive at their peril. What's it say
about preachers? It says, to some, when we speak,
we're the saver of life unto life. But to others, even the
same message, the same message of hope and of grace and of love
as best as we can preach it, that same message is some, to
some, the saver of death unto death. I don't think that's the
call the Jew's talking about here, though. This is talking
about The irresistible call if you want to use that it's another
one of those tulip things Because this call is from God himself
to everyone that Jesus Christ Brings in this is the call of
1st Corinthians 1 in verse 26 see if I am Find it here right
quick Because I don't trust my memory
to remember it Had a thing covered over that's
why It says for Paul writing for
you see your calling brethren talking to believers How that
not many wise men after the flesh not many mighty not many noble
are called But God has chosen the foolish things of the world
to confound the wise and chosen the weak things of the world
to confound the things which are mighty. And that's us. We're
the weak things of the world. But not many mighty, not many
noble are called. And the base things of the world
which are despised hath God chosen, yea, and the things which are
not to bring to naught the things that are, that no flesh should
glory in his presence. But not many mighty, not many
wise men, not many noble are called. Second Timothy one in verse nine
put it this way. Well, verse eight, be not therefore
ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner,
but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the
power of God, who hath saved us and called us with an holy
calling, not according to our works, but according to his own
purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before
the world began. sanctified by God the Father
Preserved in Jesus Christ and called and called This is unholy calling not according
to our works The call is irresistible. This is the call from God himself
to everyone that Jesus Christ brings to him The Good Shepherd calls his sheep
and by name and they follow him, no doubt. Because this call,
this call is a quickening call. This call is the life-giving
call. For as the father raises up the
dead and quickeneth them, even so the son quickeneth whom he
will. Jesus Christ gives spiritual life to those that are spiritually
dead. that were given to him before
the foundation of the world. Only to those whom are sanctified
by the Father. God the Father sanctified them,
set them apart. And those only, those only that
he gives this life to, this quickening to, those only are the ones who
will repent and believe the gospel. They will come to him. Why? Because it's his call. It's his
call. They will call upon the name
of the Lord because they are those who have been called. Because
this is not Jude writing about lost sheep, this is Jude writing
about found sheep. These are those that have been
called out. These are those that the Lord has brought into his
father. and into himself, these are those
that are in the fold. And he says, I've got other sheep
that are not in the fold, but that's not who the Jew's writing
about here. These are sanctified, these are preserved in Christ
Jesus, and these are the called. And this is the common salvation
to us all. What is the first thing that
was said about Noah in the Old Testament? The first thing. There's a man named Noah, and
Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. What's the result of the common
salvation? More grace, more grace. Mercy unto you and peace and
love be multiplied. You'd list them like three things,
but then you put those ands in there, those conjunctions. You're
not gonna have mercy without peace and love. You're not gonna
have peace without mercy and love. You're not gonna have love
without mercy and peace. These two things always have to be
together. And where is mercy and peace
and love? In Christ alone. And let it be multiplied unto
you. Mercy, peace, and love. be multiplied to you. How is that possible? Well, the
short answer is Jesus Christ. He preserves us. He preserves
us. But I'll give you a bit of a
long answer here. And we know all things work together for
good to them that love God. to them that are called according
to His purpose. Mercy and peace and love to you
every day. Let it be multiplied unto you
every day. Mercy and peace and love unto
you in every situation, in every circumstance, in every trial,
in every tribulation, and in every joy. I said it before, we think things
are good and bad as far as our circumstances go. They're all
for your good. If you're sanctified by the Father,
preserved in Christ Jesus, and you're called, every single thing
that happens to you is for your good, whether you know it or
not. Whether I know it or not, every
single thing has happened to me. And I have lived long enough
now to where I have seen the good to come out of what I thought
was some horrible circumstances of my own. And I think most of y'all have
also. It doesn't feel good when you're in it. But again, afterwards, the peaceable fruit of righteousness
from Him to you. And wait a minute, it says to
them that love God, yes it does. All things work together for
good to them that love God. And that's all. Now who loves
God? Those are the common salvation.
Those that are sanctified by God the Father, preserved in
Jesus Christ and are called. Who's that? Believers. Believers. Those to whom he's given life
and faith and sent the gospel. And they believed it because
they believe him. We believe the gospel because
we believe him. We don't believe him because we believe the gospel.
But he is the gospel so it's kind of hard to separate things.
You know? He's the gospel. He's the good
news. If you're not preaching him,
you're not preaching the gospel. So how do you separate that? But faith is in him. Our faith,
our belief is to be in him. When? Every day, in every circumstance,
in every trial, in every tribulation, in every joy. We are those of the common salvation
if we believe God. I got something I was gonna say
here. It's a little different. And I wrote it down because there
is a reason we preach who we preach. Because Jesus Christ
is the gospel. The gospel. He is the good news. We preach him, and this is the
strange, we preach him from Genesis to Revelations. He's the voice
of God who has spoken to man. He has spoken to us by his law. He has spoken to us by his prophets. And in the latter days, he spoke
to us by his son. He spoke to us himself. And we
have his words preserved here. and we preach him, his message
and his work. From in the garden, talking to
Adam about the seed of the woman, to Noah in the ark, Abraham offering
his son as a burnt offering, the Passover in Egypt, we preach
the gospel in Israel's flight from Egypt at the Red Sea, Mamanna
in the wilderness the whole tabernacle and we preach the good news and
all the sacrifices and the offerings of the tabernacle in the Old
Testament or the temple later We preach the gospel of Christ
from the prophets and history Job Ruth Psalms the Song of Songs
from Solomon Isaiah Jeremiah Daniel Esther Hosea Zechariah
and more We preach the gospel of God's dear son from his gospels
in the New Testament. The epistles of his apostles.
We preach the same gospel from the book of Revelations that
we preach from the book of Genesis and everything in between. Because
we preach the same God that's coming to bruise the head of
the serpent. is the one that's coming back, the Lamb who's the
King of Kings and Lord of Lords. And I feel privileged and awed
and sometimes overwhelmed to be allowed to stand here and
to tell you and to tell myself about my Lord. I am both scared
and pleased and try to preach the same gospel as Matthew, Mark,
Luke, John, Paul, Jude, The same gospel Moses and Isaiah preached. The gospel of God. The gospel
of Jesus Christ. The gospel of his dear son. My
gospel. Paul called it my gospel. He
called it our gospel. And we barely scratched the surface
of it. the depths of the love and the
glory and the grace of the Father, Son and Spirit, but by his grace
we shall continue to preach his gospel here. And I was pondering all this,
and then after I thought about this, I had a question come up
into my head. Why did I say all that? So I
could ask this question. See, after you, when you sit
and you think about everything you know in this book that we've
been taught over the years from Earl before, others before, Henry
Mahan, tapes, messages we heard, Walter for years, now me for
a few years. And you stop and you think about
it from generations to revelation, it's the same story, the same
gospel. The same account viewed from
different viewpoints, different aspects emphasized here and there,
and you put it all, and you wonder, who wouldn't want to know this
God? And the answer is, before he
called me, me. Understand? You come to realize,
Earl Cochran, At one time, his preaching would have been the
savor of death unto death unto me. But after God called me and I
heard the gospel preached, it's the savor of life unto life.
What's changed? He changed me. And he changed
every one of you. And if you haven't been changed
to where you know the difference of the savor of life unto life
and the difference between that and the saver of death unto death.
If you don't know what it's like to be lost, you don't know salvation. It's an odd thing. Only a believer
knows what it means to be in darkness. Because a believer's
now in the light. And ye are light in the Lord. But this is what we're surrounded
by. All around us is darkness. And the only, only hope is this
God, this sovereign Lord Jesus Christ. And that just amazes
and awes me that we have been privileged to know him, let alone
preach him, just to know him. And yet we read in here, Thank
God, we can read in here, that this man receiveth sinners. Do you know a sinner? Are you
a sinner? Because if you are, you will
be until you awaken his likeness. And we're not sinners because
of what we do, we're sinners because of what we are. We sin because we're sinners. It just fascinates me and amazes
me that God can be so gracious to come down to this handful
of people and reveal his gospel, reveal
his son in me, in you. That's why he came, to save his
people from their sins. Now I'll tell you something,
he did, and he is, and he shall. Heavenly Father, I'm thankful
for this time, this place. Everything you've given to us,
we owe everything to you. Lord, Be with Walter as he comes
to preach your message. Give us the ears to hear and
a heart to understand. Give us the eyes to see you clearer
and brighter. In Christ's name we pray, amen.