Live to Love Scripture Encouragement

John 18:1 “ When Jesus had spoken these words, He went forth with His disciples over the ravine of the Kidron, where there was a garden, in which He entered with His disciples.
Earlier Jesus told His disciples, “I will not speak much more with you, for the ruler of the world is coming, and he has nothing in Me; but so that the world may know that I love the Father, I do exactly as the Father commanded Me. Get up, let us go from here. (John 14:30-31).
Jesus had a divine appointment with the devil. Later in vs 4 John tells us that Jesus knew what was coming upon Him. The rendezvous was arranged by God before the world was made, for the Spirit says in 2 Timothy 1:9 that God “saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity.” The Father and Son planned this showdown of light against darkness. In Genesis 3:15 we hear of this appointment. “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, and you shall bruise him on the heel." Jesus and Satan knew exactly where and when they were to meet—in another garden. We learn from Luke 22:39 that Jesus often prayed in this garden on the Mount of Olives. “And He came out and proceeded as was His custom to the Mount of Olives.” From the upper room to the Mount of Olives where the Garden of Gethsemane was located, one walks through the ravine of the Kidron valley.
As we think about this verse today, let’s let this wonderful truth sink in: We are reading about what living to love is all about. God’s love is the light of the world and when empowered by faith, it overcomes the darkness and destroys the work of the devil. May we be an expression of Jesus’ love today in the darkness.

Acknowledgment: Music from “Carried by the Father” by Eric Terlizzi. www.ericterlizzi.com

John 17:26 “and I have made Your name known to them, and will make it known, so that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them."
God’s love for His Son resides in us because He resides in us. This is only possible because of what Jesus told His disciples and then displayed on the cross. He made known God’s name, the name of love, to that small band of followers. So they knew His name by words first, and they believed them. Then, when Jesus said, “I have made your name known to them, and will make it known” He surely was referring to what He was about to do. After these words, Jesus displayed the greatest act of love known to man in the history of the world so they could know God’s love by experience, be filled with both His love and Himself, and make Jesus known to the world. In essence, Jesus was saying, ”I am going now to die for their sins, so they can be forgiven and cleansed. Then when You raise me up, I know You, You are righteous, Father, and You will do the right thing. You will reward my obedience by giving all those whom You have given to me, the gift of the Holy Spirit, so that Your love, with which You have loved Me may be in them and so I may dwell in them. Together, just as I have lived to love with You, they may live to love with Me.” Implied is this wonderful conclusion: In modern vernacular it’s like Jesus was saying to His Father, “Let’s do this!” Let’s die and live to love for the glory of God.”

Acknowledgment: Music from “Carried by the Father” by Eric Terlizzi. www.ericterlizzi.com

John 17:25 "O righteous Father, although the world has not known You, yet I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me;”
In Hebrews 1:8-9 we read, “But of the Son, He (God) says, “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, and the righteous scepter is the scepter of His kingdom. You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness, therefore God, Your God, has anointed You with the oil of gladness above your companions.” Why does the Son love righteousness? Because He knows the Father and knows that He loves righteousness. How did the disciples know God sent Jesus? Because He was anointed by God with the Holy Spirit. The fruit of the Spirit is love, which is what righteousness looks like in relationships.
Let’s tie this verse to the previous verses so we can get the line of reason in Jesus’ mind. He has prayed that the world would know that God sent Him by the unifying power of the love of God dwelling in them as Jesus abides in them. In this verse, He again brings the unknowing, the ignorant world into the Father’s view. In Jesus’ mind is the heart of the Father to display to the world they have created His great love and glory. It all hinges on this small group of men and women whom the Father gave to Him. They know that God sent Jesus into the world. How did they know this? And more personally, do you know that God sent Jesus into the world? Tomorrow, in the last verse of John 17 we will see how they knew and believed in Jesus. If you can’t wait, go on and look at John 17:26. However, if you like suspense. Wait for it! We will rejoice tomorrow in the amazing words of Jesus as He closes His prayer with His Father.

Acknowledgment: Music from “Carried by the Father” by Eric Terlizzi. www.ericterlizzi.com

John 17:24 “Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, be with Me where I am, so that they may see My glory which You have given Me, for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.”
Can you imagine the Father, God, not giving His Son what He asks for? If an earthly evil father would give his son what he asks for, how much more would the heavenly Father give Jesus what He asks for. Jesus asks the Father for what would be our highest good which would also be the Son’s highest good, which would also be the Father’s highest good. He asks with confidence for the Father’s will to be done because Jesus always asks according to God’s will. Jesus desires for us, who have been given to Him, who believe and receive Jesus’ words as from God, to be with Him in heaven forever. That’s wonderful in and of itself. What a privilege! What an adventure! What a hope we have in Jesus!
There’s more! He desires us to be with Him with the Father, so we can see His glory given to Him by the Father. His glory is revealed in the love that existed between them before the world was created. Get ready for it! We are going to see this glory, the love of God, with our own eyes! We will feel it to the depths of our being. It will transform us, fill us, and explode among us.
The apostle Paul knew this to be true. He wrote to the Colossians. “Christ in you, the hope of glory!” (Col. 1:27) and “For in Him all the fullness of deity dwells in bodily form, and in Him you have been made complete” (2:9-10). All of the history of the world is moving to this one great finale. “For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it” (Rom. 8:24-25). So what are we waiting for? We are eagerly waiting for the Father to give Jesus what He desires. His bride with Him before the Father in heaven enjoying the glory of God.

Acknowledgment: Music from “Carried by the Father” by Eric Terlizzi. www.ericterlizzi.com

John 17:23.2 “I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me.”
Okay, can it get any more incredible and wonderful that this: That I am loved with the same love with which the Father loves His Son, Jesus? Let’s not miss this great truth. He doesn’t love us based on how we make Him feel. His love isn’t a responsive or reactionary love. God chooses to love. His love is the sustained direction of His will toward the highest good of another no matter what the cost. His is a steadfast love. Unwavering. Unending. Unlimited. Undefiled. He always acted in His Son’s best interest and highest good for His glory. That is the love that the world needs to see expressed in the church—Jesus’ body. The world needs to see that the Father was abiding in the Son and the Son was abiding in the Father. How will they see that unity? They will see it as believers abide in Jesus and He abides in them and His love. That love is the love of the Father for Him and them. It will be seen as that love overcomes every possible threat that living in this world throws at them or between them. Our testimony in this dark world is this: Nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus, therefore, nothing can separate us from each other. We are living to love with Jesus. He lives! We love!

Acknowledgment: Music from “Carried by the Father” by Eric Terlizzi. www.ericterlizzi.com