Jude is the half-brother of Jesus. We know this because Jude says he is the brother of James (v1) and James we are told is the brother of Jesus (Gal. 1:19). Therefore Jude, the brother of James, is also the brother of Jesus.
Jude also identifies himself as the servant of Jesus Christ. Today I want to talk about 9 aspects of being a servant of Jesus Christ.
#1: SERVANTS ARE OWNED BY CHRIST
The Greek word for servant is “doulas” and it means a bond-servant. There are two important ideas wrapped up in this word. First, it means the servant is the property of someone else. The servant belongs, as a possession, to someone else. That means the purposes of the servant are in absolute dedication to the will of their Master. Let that sink in as we “talk” about being servants. Its easy to talk about serving God and doing good deeds. But its easy to do good things for reasons other than because I see myself as the possession of Jesus Christ who commands me to do such things. I can be motivated by other things: I want others to see me in a good light, I feel good about myself, I’m trying to work “guilt” off, I’m trying to feel better than other people, and so on.
The second idea of the word “servant” is that being a servant is voluntary. The servant voluntarily enters into that relationship with a Master. Here’s where you see that it is the choice of every person to respond to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. You’re not “kidnapped” and forced into being a servant of Jesus or born into it. You decide. Will you surrender to Jesus Christ?
APPLICATION: You are not your own. If you are a Christian then you are owned by Christ. Discipleship starts with that mindset: “No one can be my disciple unless he first denies himself…” (Mk 8:34). Denying yourself means relinquishing all your rights over yourself to Jesus Christ. But the one whom you serve actually modeled what it looked like: “Rather, Christ made himself nothing by taking on the very nature of a servant…” (Php 2:7). That’s why Jesus only did and said what He was told by His Father – he was living in complete submission to the will of His Father. Again, His prayer says it perfectly, “Yet not my will, but your will be done.” Being a servant means living that ethic
#2: A SERVANT IS HUMBLE.
Jude is a different man now. Seeing himself as a servant of Jesus is a radical contrast to how he saw himself before: a man who needed to physically oppose his crazy brother from continuing on with his public ministry. Like Peter grabbed Jesus by the arm to rebuke him for talking about going to the cross and getting in Jesus’ way, like Paul persecuting the Church and getting in the Gospel’s way, Jude tried to shut down Jesus’ ministry too.
This is why we spent time understanding who Jude was last week. Doesn’t it add a whole layer of richness to understand that the brother who once tried to stop Jesus’ ministry now serves in Jesus’ ministry? Think of the humility that is involved in that. It is almost as dramatic a turnaround as the Apostle Paul’s (Gal. 1:23-24).
Furthermore, look at how Jude does NOT identify himself: as Jesus’ brother. You ever notice how we tend to drop things in our conversation to make us look better to the people we’re talking to? Jude doesn’t do that here. He downplays his earthly relationship to Jesus to magnify his new spiritual relationship. He doesn’t want people to see him as the physical brother of Jesus, he wants the Christian Church to see him as a servant of Jesus.
And it was as a “servant” that Jude wrote this letter. Jude saw himself as a servant when he said in verse 4, “Jesus, our only Sovereign and Lord.” His whole section lambasting false teachers is contrast to himself and is showing how they don’t “serve” God (5-19), “shepherds who feed only themselves” (12). His instructions for the believers in verses 20-23 are a description of what it looked like for THEM to serve God. Jude was a servant of Jesus Christ, and writing this letter was an act of service to Jesus.
From brother to servant (see pg 18 in notes “not mention he was Jesus’ half-brother”…humility….possibly had same attitude as Paul who said he was least of apostles because he persecuted church and Jude may have said he was least of brothers because he didn’t believe even though he grew up with him….
#3: A Servant Is Spiritual
His relationship with Jesus is a spiritual relationship. Not earthly. That spiritual relationship utterly transforms his earthly living for sure, but that is because his view of Christ is now aligned with heaven’s view of Christ. A servant has a mind that has repented and does not see Christ the way the world sees Christ. A servant of Christ does not see Christ how he as the servant wants to see Christ. His view of Christ is now formed by God’s revelation in Scripture. A servant sees Christ for who He is.
A servant of Christ now sees himself differently also. No longer from an earthly perspective, but a spiritual one. As servants we don’t see Christ like
- The Pharisees (of the devil),
- The ignorant crowds (demon possessed, Samaritan, John the Baptist, Mosaic Prophet)
- Judas (means to riches and prestige),
- Herod (who entertains us)
- A Palestinian refugee
- White European, Black African
APPLICATION: These are views of Jesus people form based on who those people are. Jesus is conformed to their own image. They want Jesus to be like them and serve them and their purposes. It inverts the true teaching: we are servants of Jesus. We see Him in order to see ourselves and how we conform to Him.
#4: A SERVANT’S UNITY with rest of believers…not a higher class of Christian from rest of believers…solidarity in standing with…here there is neither Jew nor Greek…earthly relationship counts for nothing in one’s standing in Christ…only faith)
#5: SERVANTS ARE IN GOOD COMPANY
The idea of being a servant puts Jude in excellent company. Moses, David, Elijah were all called servants of God (Josh 14:7; Ps 89:3; 2 Kgs 10:10). The nation of Israel is called God’s servant (Isa 43:10). In the NT Paul identified himself as a servant of Jesus (Rom 1:1). Jude’s mentor Peter and Jude’s brother James also identified themselves as Christ’s servants (Jms 1:1; 2 Pet 1:1).
Most amazingly, Jesus the Christ is called the servant of God (Isa 52:13; Php 2:6-8). Jesus only did what His Father told Him to do and said what His Father told Him to say (Jn 5:19)
APPLICATION: See being a “servant” as great honor. If the greatest men in the Bible were called servants, and Jesus was a servant to His Father, then let us see the great honor of such a term for ourselves.
APPLICATION to the APPLICATION: Lets make EFC a place where we are in good company as we all live as servants of Jesus Christ.
#6: A SERVANT’S PRAISE
Not from men. Not sought from men. (1 Cor 4:5; 2 Cor 10:18Gal 1:10; Rom 14:4, 10-12)
One of the worst traps is to live for the praises of men. Turn with me to 1 Samuel 15:13-24 (especially verse 24)
#7: A SERVANT SUFFERS
As a servant, Jude no doubt understood what it meant to suffer.
John 15:20
1 Peter 4:1-4
2 Tim 3:10-12
Revelation 1:1,9
Amy Carmichael:
Have you no scar?
No hidden scar on foot, or side, or hand?
I hear you sung as mighty in the land,
I hear them hail your bright ascendant star:
Have you no scar?
Have you no wound?
Yet, I was wounded by the archers, spent.
Leaned me against the tree to die, and rent
By ravening beasts that compassed me, I swooned:
Have you no wound?
No wound? No scar?
Yes, as the master shall the servant be,
And pierced are the feet that follow Me;
But yours are whole. Can he have followed far
Who has no wound? No scar?
#8: A SERVANT SACRIFICES (Mt. 19:27-30; Php 3:4-9)
The life of a servant is one of sacrifice. Turn with me to Matthew 19:27-30.
Then turn with me to Php 3:4-9…
#9: A SERVANT SANCTIFIES
– of himself and of others
Self: 1 Cor
Others: Jude 1:20; Rom 1:11-12; 2 Cor 13:10; Php 1:23-24;