Live to Love Scripture Encouragement

Faithful and True (August 1, 2026 Blog) by Norm Wakefield

John 17:19-20 “For their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they themselves also may be sanctified in truth. I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word;”
Jesus asked the Father to sanctify His disciples through His Word (17:17), namely, the commandment to believe in Him, who is the truth, and love with Him who is the way (13:34). This was made possible through His unswerving dedication to lay Himself down for them. He did it then, as He willingly, intentionally, went to the cross. The impact of such love was intended to thrust them into the world with the same dedication, intention, and willingness to lay their lives down—living to love with Jesus. Jesus could see that His prayer for His disciples extended also to all who would believe because He sanctified Himself to God’s purpose so that they would be sanctified to God’s purpose, so that we also might be sanctified to God’s glorious, redemptive, purpose. How do we know if Jesus was praying for us? If we have believed in Jesus through the words of Jesus’ first disciples, then we were and still are in the mind and intercession of the Son of God. What does this mean to us? It means, we are united with Christ, set apart to God’s holiness, to His redemptive, loving purpose in this world. This purpose sets us apart from everyone else in the world. The world lives for this world. We have been set apart to live to love with Jesus for the glory of God. I hope this encourages you like it does me. What an incredible and glorious way to live!

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

John 17:19 “For their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they themselves also may be sanctified in truth.”
There’s a false narrative floating around in the world that Jesus died because He spoke truth to power, not because He was the Father’s sacrifice of atonement to take away sins. This verse exposes and condemns the lie. The truth, right out of the mouth of the Son of God is this. Unlike priests who sanctified both the temple and the offerings unto God, Jesus as our high priest, sanctified Himself, as the offering unto God. He was not a victim. Nothing happened to Him that was not in His control. He set His body, soul, and spirit apart from the common uses in this world and set Himself apart to His Father’s will and purpose.
Jesus was sent into this world by the Father to lay down His life to satisfy divine justice on behalf of those whom the Father gave to Him before the world existed. And this is love: the sustained direction of the will toward their highest good, no matter what the cost. The sustained direction of the will is what it means to sanctify. Jesus determined to love His disciples with the Father, so they could be sanctified in truth and love His own with Him. We are here today because God answered Jesus’ prayer. They were sanctified in truth by the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the impact of which has powerfully continued to this day and will continue to the end of this world.

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

John 17:18 “As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world.”
Jesus was sent to be the exact representation of the Father, God. His passion was and is the glory of His Father. He manifested the Father’s name, the name of love. He was not alone. He came to love with His Father. He could do nothing apart from His Father. He received the words the Father gave to Him and faithfully gave them to His disciples. In the same way, Jesus sent His disciples into the world to carry His life in them. Their passion was the glory of God revealed in Christ. They prayed and spoke in Jesus’ name, the name of love. They were not alone. They went into the world to love with Jesus. They could do nothing apart from Him. They received the words of Jesus and faithfully gave them to Jesus’ disciples. All these things were true of those first disciples, and they are also true of all who are His disciples throughout the ages—all the way down to us.
Jesus lived in the power of the Holy Spirit because He gave the Father access to all of His humanity. All believers have the same power source dwelling within them. The love of God flows through them as they give Jesus unlimited access to their humanity. Jesus was sent into the world with the life of God dwelling within Him. Jesus has sent us into the world also with the life of God dwelling in us—the life of Jesus Christ, Himself. This is the miracle of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ! He came to bring us to God so that the life of God could be revealed in us as we live to love with Jesus. So today let’s remember. We have been sent into the world just as Jesus was sent into the world for the glory of God.

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

John 17:17 “Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth.”
What is the sanctifying word of truth that Jesus had in mind? I suggest from John 13-16, the context reveals that the word that God gave Jesus to give to His disciples that sets them (and us) apart to God and apart from this world is this word: “A new commandment I give to you that you love one another as I have loved you. Abide in my love.” I summarize that word with the phrase “live to love with Jesus.”
Jesus asked the Father to set His disciples apart, sanctify them, through His call to love with Him. It is love, the supernatural sustaining of the will toward the highest good of another, no matter what the cost, that sets them apart from everyone who is of the world. Yes, it is true that God’s word, in general, has a sanctifying affect. But the context of this passage reveals that Jesus had a specific “word” in mind, not merely the general word of God. He’s thinking of the specific word that the Father had given Him to give to them. The word that manifested the Father’s name that His disciples believed and received. That word was the new commandment to believe Jesus is God and love with Him.
Stop and think about how everyone who believes that Jesus is God and believes that God is love is believing the truth about God and about life. If God is love and Jesus is God, then what impact would that word have on those who believe? It would change everything! They would be set apart, sanctified out of this world and sanctified to God. As they lived to love with Jesus, it would reveal the truth that Jesus is God, is alive, and God is love! He has died and risen to life. He lives in them! Father, sanctify us with this truth; Your word is truth.

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