3 Necessary Elements for the Committed Christ Follower

INTRODUCTION:

The Gospels also speak of a Jude, or Judas, who was one of the brethren of Jesus. Both Matthew () and Mark () represent the men of our Lord’s “own country” as mentioning him by name.

Of this Jude we know extremely little. The historical books of the New Testament indicate that these brethren of Jesus were at first unbelievers (), and that afterwards (probably not till the Resurrection was accomplished) they were of the company of disciples (). This will apply, we have every reason to think, to Jude as well as others. But beyond what these passages suggest, we have nothing from the New Testament itself. Neither does early ecclesiastical history furnish us with much.

There is, however, one statement of great interest, which has come down to us from Hegesippus, the father of Church history, who flourished perhaps about the middle of the second century. It has been preserved for us by Eusebius, and is of such importance that it may be given in full.

“There were yet living of the family of our Lord,” the narrative says, “the grandchildren of Judas, called the brother of our Lord, according to the flesh. These were reported as being of the family of David, and were brought to Domitian by the Evocatus. For this emperor was as much alarmed at the appearance of Christ as Herod. He put the question whether they were of David’s race, and they confessed that they were. He then asked them what property they had, or how much money they owned. And both of them answered that they had between them only nine thousand denarii, and this they had not in silver, but in the value of a piece of land containing only thirty-nine acres, from which they raised their taxes, and supported themselves by their own labour. Then they also began to show their hands, exhibiting the hardness of their bodies, and the callosity formed by incessant labour on their hands, as evidence of their own labour. When asked, also, respecting Christ and his kingdom, what was its nature, and when and where it was to appear, they replied ‘that it was not a temporal nor an earthly kingdom, but celestial and angelic; that it would appear at the end of the world, when, coming in glory, he would judge the quick and dead, and give to every one according to his works.’ Upon which Domitian, despising them, made no reply; but treating them with contempt, as simpletons, commanded them to be dismissed, and by a decree ordered the persecution to cease. Thus delivered, they ruled the Churches, both as witnesses and relatives of the Lord. When peace was established, they continued living even to the times of Trajan” (Eusebius, ‘Eccl. Hist.,’ iii. 20: Bohn).

As Domitian reigned from a.d. 81 to 96, this passage helps us so far to determine the limit of Jude’s life.

I- A PROPER PERSONAL VIEW () .

Jude 1a NLT

1 This letter is from Jude, a slave of Jesus Christ and a brother of James. I am writing to all who have been called by God the Father, who loves you and keeps you safe in the care of Jesus Christ.

Cambridge Greek Testament: Greek Text ΙΟΥΔΑ

Ἰούδας Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ δοῦλος

A- The believer must have a proper view of himself.

1- Must not have a puffed up view of self ().

Romans 12:3 NLT

3 Because of the privilege and authority God has given me, I give each of you this warning: Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us.

Quote concerning the would be indispensable person “He is impossible to get along with because he thinks he is impossible to get along without.”

B- The believer must have a proper view of himself in relation to Christ.

1- The believer must understand that he is a servant of Jesus Christ.

a- This means that Jesus is Lord.

(1) If Jesus is Lord, there is a serious question we must answer. ()

Luke 6:46 NLT

46 “So why do you keep calling me ‘Lord, Lord!’ when you don’t do what I say?

(2) Jude called himself “the servant of Jesus Christ” – this is a commonly used phrase in the New Testament.

b- Though we serve one another, we primarily serve Christ and will be judged by him ().

1 Corinthians 4:3–5 NLT

3 As for me, it matters very little how I might be evaluated by you or by any human authority. I don’t even trust my own judgment on this point. 4 My conscience is clear, but that doesn’t prove I’m right. It is the Lord himself who will examine me and decide. 5 So don’t make judgments about anyone ahead of time—before the Lord returns. For he will bring our darkest secrets to light and will reveal our private motives. Then God will give to each one whatever praise is due.

C- The believer must have a proper view of himself in relation to other believers. (ἀδελφὸς δὲ Ἰακώβου)

ἀδελφὸς δὲ Ἰακώβου)

1- Jude identifies himself as the brother of James.

a- We are interrelated by the new birth. ()

Matthew 6:9 NLT

9 Pray like this: Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy.

quote by woman “He is no brother of mine!”

II- A PROPER UNDERSTANDING OF SALVATION ().

Jude 1b NLT

1 This letter is from Jude, a slave of Jesus Christ and a brother of James. I am writing to all who have been called by God the Father, who loves you and keeps you safe in the care of Jesus Christ.

A- Called (κλητοῖς)

κλητοῖς)

1- Called to salvation.

()

Revelation 3:20 NLT

20 “Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends.

()

John 6:44 NLT

44 For no one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them to me, and at the last day I will raise them up.

a. Paul was called to salvation on the Damascus Road.

b. I was called to salvation at 14 years of age.

2- Called to serve (lit. “saints by calling”)

saints by calling)

a- Set apart for service to God.

( )

()

()

Ephesians 4:11–16 NLT

11 Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. 12 Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ. 13 This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ. 14 Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth. 15 Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church. 16 He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.

a. Each believer has been gifted and set apart for service to Christ.

2- Each believer will be held accountable for his service to Christ. () ()

B- Loved

1- Beloved in God the Father (ἐν θεῳ πατρι ἠγαπημενοις)

2- Our salvation is evidence of our unique relationship with the Father!

Beloved in God the Father (ἐν θεῳ πατρι ἠγαπημενοις

C- Preserved (τετηρημένοις= to be kept safe)

τετηρημένοις)

1- we are secure in Christ through the seal of the Spirit. ()

Ephesians 1:13 NLT

13 And now you Gentiles have also heard the truth, the Good News that God saves you. And when you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago.

1 Peter 1:5 NLT

5 And through your faith, God is protecting you by his power until you receive this salvation, which is ready to be revealed on the last day for all to see.

a. This is a once for all experience. (Verb translated here is in the perfect passive participle indicating continuously performed action).

Perfect passive participle indicating continuous/ but completed action action).

Holman New Testament Commentary: I & II Peter, I, II & III John, Jude A. Jude States His Purpose for Writing (vv. 1–4)

His readers are called … loved by God the Father, and kept by Jesus Christ. We take them to be Jewish Christians living in Palestine (see Book Profile). Jude was fond of presenting information in triads (threes). Called looks to the past (Rom. 1:6; 8:30; Eph. 4:4); loved looks to the present (1 John 4:8–10); while kept looks to the future (1 Thess. 5:23; 2 Tim. 1:12; 1 Pet. 1:5).

III- A PERPETUAL GROWTH IN RELATIONSHIP WITH CHRIST ().

Jude 2 NLT

2 May God give you more and more mercy, peace, and love.

A- Multiplied mercy

1- The believer needs to have a constant recognition of God’s mercy. ().

a. The recognition that Christ’s forgiveness is complete. ()

1 John 1:9 NLT

9 But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.

2- There must be an extension of mercy to others by us. ()

Matthew 5:7 NLT

7 God blesses those who are merciful, for they will be shown mercy.

()

Ephesians 4:32 NLT

32 Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.

()

Colossians 3:12 NLT

12 Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.

B- Multiplied peace

1- peace with God ()

Romans 5:1 NLT

1 Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us.

2- the peace of God ()

Philippians 4:7 NLT

7 Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

3- peace with each other

a. This is something we are to strive for.

()

Romans 12:8 NLT

8 If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly.

()

Romans 14:19 NLT

19 So then, let us aim for harmony in the church and try to build each other up.

()

Ephesians 4:3 NLT

3 Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace.

C- Multiplied love

1- experiencing his love ()

Ephesians 3:18–19 NLT

18 And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. 19 May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.

2- reciprocating his love ()

Mark 12:30 NLT

30 And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’

3- extending his love ()

1 John 3:18 NLT

18 Dear children, let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions.

CONCLUSION: