Introduction: In the movie Cast Away, Chuck Noland, a FedEx systems troubleshooter, played by Tom Hanks, is stranded on a South Pacific island, the sole survivor of a company plane crash. The film tells the story of the next four years of Noland's life. Apart from Spartan protection and a supply of coconuts, the island provides little else to its new inhabitant. But in Robinson Crusoe style he learns to survive in a setting that starkly contrasts his "it's a sin to lose time," consumer-driven world.

Those four years begin as Noland wakens to the sound of the crashing sea upon his new tropical island home. Noland, sitting in the sand, unpacks a handful of FedEx plastic-wrapped packages that survived the crash and floated to shore—video tapes, a pair of ice skates, an evening gown, and a volleyball. He opens all the packages except one. The one medium-sized cardboard box, identified only with a pair of angel wings, remains sealed for the four years Noland is cut off from civilization.

Eventually Noland sails from the island and is picked up by a ship. At the very end of the movie, Noland escorts the unopened box up a dusty Texas farm road. He knocks on the door of the house, but no one answers. He leans the weathered box against the door and leaves a short note. "Thanks," he writes, "this package saved my life." With that note, the meaning of the mysterious box is revealed: we cannot really live without hope. One estimate is that a person can live about forty days without food, about three days without water, about eight minutes without air…but only one second without hope.

A pastor received this brief letter: "The lights have just about gone out in my life. I won’t take your time (it would require a dozen pages) to describe my circumstance. Suffice it to say, I am running thin on resolve. Most of the things and people I once held on to have gone. I am somewhere between angry and scared to death. I’m a Christian, but doubts are eating away at my faith. Do you have any encouraging words?" A person like that is in obvious, desperate need of a real hope. Those words may describe someone you know. They may even describe you. They may describe your family.

Romans 15:13 says, "So I pray that God, who gives you hope, will keep you happy and full of peace as you believe in him. May you overflow with hope through the power of the Holy Spirit." The Bible makes it clear that as Christians we are to people who are overflowing with hope. The word means to expect something good and particularly joyful and confident expectation of eternal salvation. The facts are that we are, as Christians often equal with unchurched people when it comes to the amount or measure of our hopelessness.

One of the places where all of us need hope is in our families. That place where the desperation of our lives is revealed most clearly. Our families are in varying degrees losing hope and where human hope is being put out real hope, overflowing hope, must take its place! What is a real hope? Very simply, real hope is the result that occurs when God is allowed to work in our lives. Where does God need to bring hope to your family? You and your spouse have quit talking and you have quit caring. A child’s rejection of your values has distanced you from them. You don’t know how to reach them even though they are right down the hall. The hurt from your spouse breaking trust makes you wonder if your marriage will survive. The illness keeps winning and the treatments keep losing and you are giving up. The payments are getting bigger but your profit is getting smaller. Any of this sound familiar?

In our story this morning we see the power of the Lord Jesus Christ bringing real hope to a family. Today many of you need real hope in your family. The light of hope is dim or nearly dead. The Lord Jesus Christ’s power is available to bring real hope to your family.

I. The first thing we see is a family that is faced with a hopeless situation (Mark 5:23)

A little girl about 12 years old is dying. Her father, a synagogue official, has come to ask Jesus to heal her. We have absolutely no idea why or how this young girl is losing life. The Bible does not tell us. All we know is that it was so severe that a tragic death was about to occur if a miracle didn’t happen.

How do we respond when we are faced with situations in our family that seem to be without hope? One is with denial; "Everything’s fine." It’s called denial. Another is avoidance; "We’ll talk about it later." A wife brings you her problem and that is your solution. A child does something that you know is going to bring you problems but you pretend not to see. Sooner or later you will have to face the truth and can’t avoid it.

A third is repetition; "Here we go again!" may be a little sentence you echo in your mind but sometimes you whisper or shout when the same old problem keeps coming up. You didn’t do anything before and probably won’t now but the repetition of a problem is a warning signal that there is situation rapidly losing hope. Rather than denial or avoidance we may just simply give in to a feeling of detachment: "I just don’t care." We lose feeling due to hurt and anger. We insulate ourselves from the shocks of pain and we just simply don’t care any more. If you haven’t spoken the words, "I don’t care," only have thought them instead, it’s probably obvious by your actions that you’ve resigned to your problem. "I don’t care" is a serious warning signal.

What’s seems to be hopeless in your family? Please don’t think you have to be in divorce court or telling a child to leave – those are extremes. Paul Tournier says, "When we talk of marriage counseling we think immediately of extreme cases, of threats to seek divorce, of couples in violent disputes who frequently come to blows. But there are many other couples whose marriages are no less a failure. They live side by side, without hurting one another but poles apart, because of no real understanding of one another."

This little 12 year old girl draws our attention to the truth that most of us don’t want to admit—our families face hopeless situations.

II. What was the father’s solution to hopelessness? It was very simple: Find Jesus and invite Him into their hopelessness! (Mark 5:22-24) This father was aware that he had completely run out of options. He let his humility overcome his pride. He was also desperate with a specific request! He invited Jesus into his hopelessness.

The one thing that continues to amaze me about families who have problems is that most of them refuse to seek help. For some ridiculous reason we have this voice prodding us on, saying "Prove it to ‘em, you can do it…you don’t need anyone’s help." The medical profession has a phrase for when they can’t treat an illness with a prescription. It’s called, "We’ll let it run its course." The commercial with the little boy in the school play being assaulted by flu germs warns us that we are taking too many antibiotics. They won’t work against those types of germs. There are some illnesses for which there is simply not a pill and it must run its course. There are others that if they aren’t treated will kill you. But in our families there are problems that won’t go away, won’t run their course and they’re going to destroy you if you don’t get some help! This father chose to get help—real help—the help of Jesus Christ.

Why are we so reluctant to ask for the help we need when things are hopeless? One thing is pride. Our pride will keep me from admitting I need help. Another is guilt. We feel the blame and shame involved with our situation and we let guilt keep us from admitting we need help. Other reasons are fear-fear of what the changes could bring, worry-worry or anxiety that paralyzes us and doubt-doubt that your asking for help will make any difference at all.

What does it take for us to ask for Jesus’ help? This man is a perfect example of a family asking for Jesus’ help! First, it begins with a realization you have no other option. I don’t know how long this father waited before looking for Jesus but the time is unimportant. The truth is there was no other option all along! Jesus was the only one who could heal the girl! I don’t care what area of hopelessness found in your family; the ultimate solution will be the power of the Lord Jesus Christ! He is your only solution—you have had no other option!

Second, the father allowed his humility to overcome his pride. This father disregarded his past, present, future position for the help of Jesus. Families, what’s stopping you from humbling yourself to ask for Jesus’ help? Your past? Your present? Your future? Don’t say it will run its course! Some things won’t go away. Won’t you let humility overcome your pride?

A third principle is specific urgent prayer (Mark 5: 22-23) Why was it so necessary for him to be specific? Because it removed any chance that the need would be confused. He didn’t need Jesus to just look his way or pass by. He wanted Him to come to his house and put His hands on his little girl and if He would do that she would live! How specific are you and how desperate are you about needing the help of Jesus?

Our families will remain in their hopelessness unless we invite Jesus into our hopelessness! We think we have other options but we don’t! We are too proud to ask and we’re going to fall apart trying to let it run its course! We are trite and casual in our prayer, when what He hears is the sincere plea of our hearts! Will you invite Jesus into your hopelessness?

On his way to Jairus home He provided him with an impromptu object lesson on faith. Jesus is met by a woman who is also desperate and hopeless just as he was. She was convinced that the least contact with Jesus would heal her. He was asking for much more. The miracle was for her an unseen one. It would have been inappropriate to attempt to verify it. This father was asking for an obvious display of his power. The woman’s faith was the bridge between her needs and Christ’s power. His request would call for the same faith. The point was that his request was much more than hers but faith in Jesus was the lesson to be learned.

When Jesus arrived at the home He offered Jairus a hope in the face of overwhelming hopelessness! The degree of his hopelessness was extreme: his little girl was dead, the funeral had already begun, and the community was mocking the words of the one source of hope that he sought. What does this say? The worst that Jairus imagined had happened! There are many of you today for whom the worst that could happen in your marriage or family has happened: divorce, separation, crisis, illness, death, problems within your extended family. The worst you could imagine has happened and more!

Jesus is offering you hope in spite of the worst having happened! He can’t change the past. But doesn’t He have the power to bring hope? He gives to Jairus two statements that are ours today: "Don't be afraid. Just trust me." What is he doing? Encouraging faith in the face of fear! Then he says, "The child has not died but is asleep." He dares the impossible with the powerful! Jesus at last provided the gift of hope that the father longed to see.

Often His gifts of hope come in gentle ways – so in your life the gift may be a spouse asking you to pray for him. Or their offering to give you the attention you want. Or a child who begins to show they do really love you. Gentle ways. His gifts of hope may also come strong and stern. He brings a crisis that shocks you out of your coldness and drives you to your knees. You have been given the gift of hope but it has been painful! Regardless of the method, they both leave us facing the unexplainable and we won’t have to tell anyone about it – it will be obvious to all!

• Our families need the gift of hope in the hopeless situations in which we find ourselves. Unless we admit it we cannot begin to find the hope we seek.
• Securing the gift of hope begins with someone who asks desperately. You see it is never to late to start doing what is right!
• The giver of hope is the source of hope-the Lord Jesus Christ. He and He alone is the source of hope in your hopelessness.
• When He gives you His gift of hope you won’t have to explain it, you will know it!

Conclusion: I wrestled this week for the courage to bring this message to you. The reason is because of the actual issues of hopelessness that face so many of our families. I get caught in the expectation of hope thinking that hope means, "they lived happily ever after." You know that picture perfect ending. So if I can’t insure that then I have no business talking about hope. But inviting Christ into your families hopelessness doesn’t mean perfection. This father’s daughter would die again. They would face other desperate circumstances. Hope isn’t perfection it is possibility! The gift of hope opens the entire world of possibilities that God alone could provide.

Another issue is that we want hope now, on our terms! God works though on His time and through His own process. Our challenge is to wait on Him. Not long before his death, Henri Nouwen wrote a book called Sabbatical Journeys. He writes about some friends of his who were trapeze artists, called the Flying Roudellas. They told Nouwen there's a special relationship between flyer and catcher on the trapeze. The flyer is the one that lets go, and the catcher is the one that catches. As the flyer swings high above the crowd on the trapeze, the moment comes when he must let go. He arcs out into the air. His job is to remain as still as possible and wait for the strong hands of the catcher to pluck him from the air. One of the Flying Roudellas told Nouwen, "The flyer must never try to catch the catcher." The flyer must wait in absolute trust. The catcher will catch him, but he must wait. ( John Ortberg, from sermon "Waiting on God," Preaching Today #199)

The God of Hope will bring you His Gift of Hope. Our task is to lift our arms and hands and wait in absolute trust.

Sunday, September 9, 2001

Dr. Bruce Tippit, Pastor

First Baptist Church

Jonesboro, Arkansas

btippit@fbcjonesboro.org