TOPIC:“When Life Hits You Hard - What Then?”
“Let us, therefore, come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain
mercy, and find grace in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16)
Arthur J. Gossip, renowned Scottish preacher of the 20th century, when he was fifty-four years of age his wife very suddenly and unexpectedly died. It was a devastating loss. A pastor without his wife. The first sermon he preached at Beach Grove church in the city of Aberdeen following that tragedy was entitled, “But When Life Tumbles In, What Then?” That sermon was a masterpiece. It has become one of the most famous ever preached. And in that sermon Rev. Gossip made a statement that I want you to catch. He declared: “You people in the sunshine MAY believe the faith, we in the shadow MUST believe it. We have nothing else.” You see, when we go through the shadow of death we must know for a certainty and believe with a surety that Jesus Christ has defeated death by His victorious resurrection.
Perhaps you find yourself in a similar situation as that of Arthur Gossip. You have lost a loved one to Heaven. Now there is a void, a vacuum, a feeling of emptiness, and you wonder if you can go on living. Life seems so hopeless and unfair. Or perhaps your empty and destitute feeling is for another reason. A disease that God has not healed. A defeat that you still can't forget. A disappointment by a friend or family member that still bothers you. Whatever it is, life has hit you hard and you are seeking for help.
Well, I have something special to tell you.. There is something in the text that I want you to firmly grasp. It is found in the words at the end of the verse: “in time of need.” The NIV makes it more personal: “in our time of need.” It is what Kenneth Wuest, the Greek New Testament scholar, calls “seasonable help.” God meets our need at a time when it is most helpful. I ask: Is today a time of need for you? If so, there is the promise of some very special help for you in our text. Let's search it out together.
. . .