• In his last words to his disciples before he died, Jesus laid out for them a plan.
• In a few words he summarized what a Christian life should look like from beginning to end.
• Here, perhaps more than anywhere else in Scripture, we have a concise vision for our life’s goals and destiny.

John 17:14–26 – Jesus’ Design for the Christian Life

Design Principle A

14. I have given them your word, and the world has hated them, because
    they do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world.
15. I am not asking you to take them out of the world, but that you keep them safe from the evil one.
16. They do not belong to the world just as I do not belong to the world.

Design Principle B

17. Make them dedicated to you [holy] in the truth; your word is truth.
18. Just as you sent me into the world,
          so I sent them into the world.
19. And I dedicated myself on their behalf,
          so that they too may be dedicated in truth.

Design Principle C

20. I am not praying only on their behalf,
    but also on behalf of those who believe in me through their testimony,
21.       that they will all be one,
                just as you, Father, are in me and I am in you. I pray that they will be in us,
                      so that the world will believe that you sent me.
22. The glory you gave to me I have given to them,
          that they may be one
                just as we are one—^23. I in them and you in me— that they may be completely one,
                      so that the world will know that you sent me,
                      and you have loved them just as you have loved me.

Design Principle D

24. Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am,
          so that they can see my glory that you gave me
          because you loved me before the creation of the world.
25. O Righteous Father, even if the world does not know you, I know you,
          and these men know that you sent me.
26. I made known your name to them, and I will continue to make it known,
          so that the love you have loved me with may be in them, and I may be in them.”

Sermon Outline - Jesus’ Design for the Christian Life

• Two things I want you to notice about this video:
  1. Notice how he get applause when he says something negative about the church
  2. He is actually making an excellent point overall
• Comments
  • People are comfortable with Jesus if they can relegate him to an ancient historical teacher
  • He is totally wrong that Jesus “ended up inadvertently forming a religion” as you can see:

• The very last thing we have recorded in John of Jesus speaking to his disciples before he went to his death is in John 17.
• Hand out printout of John 17:14–26
  • What do we get from v.14–16?

• What does it look like if we ignore part B. of this principle?
  • culturally cut-off.
  • segregated from society “Christian this and Christian that”
  • Does this happen?
• What does it look like if we ignore part A. of this principle?
  • Lives are no different to the world
  • “Salt has lost its savour”
  • Does this happen?

• Why was Jesus sent to this earth?
  • to reveal God to man
  • to bring hope, reconciliation, eternal life (Joh 3:16)
• What does it mean that he was dedicated to this task?
  • focused, single minded
• Christians are to continue the work of Jesus
  • The church is the embodiment of Jesus on this earth
• How does “Truth” make us consecrated, dedicated to this purpose?
  • Becoming like Jesus is not automatic, it requires
    • the Spirit
    • the truth that Jesus brought (and gave through later writings)
  • there is a process that the Spirit takes that truth and steers us by it
    • As we read the truth, the Spirit uses it to focus and dedicate us

• So here we have the principle that Jeremy Keith was alluding to
  • although he missed the point!
• Has the church always made this a principle?
  • can you think of when this doesn’t happen?
• Why is this “supernatural”
  • surely people can love each other?
  • those we would never love naturally
  • not self-centred because the love of Jesus is in us
• Everyone believes in theory that love is a good thing,
  • so what makes it different if you call it a fundamental principle?
  • you say “I’m not going to do this, but instead I will do this, because this is my guiding principle”

• Jesus does not use the word Church because it did not begin until Pentecost, but that is clearly what he is referring to.
• If we had time, look at Ephesians

• This is the ultimate design goal for the church
  • to be a bride for Jesus
• What is the connection between the Father’s love for Jesus, and the love that lives in us?
  • God is actually forming his own character of love in us
  • So we will be able to live with him forever

Ephesians 4 (after his prayer in ch.3)

1. I therefore encourage you, I, the prisoner of the Lord
   to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called
2. with all lowliness and gentleness
   with longsuffering, bearing one another in love
    
3. striving to preserve the one-ness of the Spirit
   in the bond of peace
4.       one body
         and one Spirit
         even as you were called in one hope of your calling
5.       one Lord
         one faith
         one baptism
6.       one God and father of all
   who is over all, and through all, and in all (things)
   …
13. until we all arrive
          at the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God
          at the complete(/mature/perfected human)
          at the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ

Updated on 2019-07-21 by Andrew Fountain