01 JESUS IS REAL.pdf - Dr. George O. Wood

JESUS IS REALLuke 1:1–4and everything can be broken, but this one thing I must have as certain. If Jesus is real, which Heis, it really doesn‘t matter what happens. It matters, but it doesn‘t!The English Book of Common Prayer of 1662 gives this as a prayer for the reading of the Gospelof Luke. ―Almighty God, who called Saint Luke, the physician, whose praise is in the Gospel tobe an evangelist and physician of the soul, may it please thee that by the doctrine delivered byHim all the diseases of our soul may be healed through the merits of the Son Christ our Lord.Amen.‖Closing PrayerOur Father we pray that same prayer entering into this study of Luke; that by the merits of thySon, our Lord Jesus Christ, all the diseases of our soul may be healed. When we‘re in Yourpresence, we can sense any out-of-tuneness that is in our life. We can sense doctrinal out-oftunenessand moral out-of-tuneness. Failure. Discouragement. So we pick up Your Word todayand Your Spirit ministers Jesus as very really to us. We ask, Lord, that all of our hearts would betuned to that of Jesus. As for people that are here today, that are going through struggle in theirlife, maybe feel like they‘re in the middle of some vast swimming pool and they don‘t have thestrength to swim anymore and are going down, wondering if there‘s any lifeline, any hope in life,anything that‘s certain, You are the one that‘s certain. Teach us that, Lord. Teach us, too, torespect the individuality that You‘ve given us. There may be persons here that may be bitter withYou about the way they are, that they‘re not like somebody else. How You use individuals! EvenLuke, so unique in his gifts, You used him. You didn‘t make him be somebody else. Deep in ourheart, O Lord God, tune us into You. Let a holy fire and purity and love and devotion be in ourdepths, the deep of us that makes the core of us, that You fill that place. May You be real in thatplace to us. We ask, in Jesus‘ name. Amen.12