A Lifeline of Hope

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​The First Presbyterian Church of Blackwood
Sermon Notes – March 9, 2025
Rev. Richard Herman, Guest Preacher
 
 
 
A Lifeline of Hope
Psalm 62; Hebrews 6:13-20
Based on a Stephen King novel, The Shawshank Redemption tells the story of Andy Dufresne, convicted of killing his wife and her lover, then sentenced to life in Shaw-shank Prison. Maintaining his innocence, Andy manages to survive 19 years of harsh prison life, finding comfort in an unlikely friendship with a fellow convict named "Red".
At one point, following two weeks of solitary confinement in “The Hole”, Andy walks into the mess hall where Red and others gather ‘round him. “Easiest time I ever did,” he says.  
“No such thing as easy time in the hole. A week seems like a year,” one of them says.
Andy replies, “I had Mr. Mozart to keep me company. Hardly felt the time at all.”
“Oh, they let you tote that record player down there?” quips Red.
Tapping his head and heart, Andy says, “The music was here...and here. That's the one thing they can't confiscate, not ever. That's the beauty of it. Haven't you ever felt that way about music, Red?”
“Played a mean harmonica as a younger man. Lost my taste for it. Didn't make much sense on the inside.”
“Here's where it makes the most sense. We need it so we don't forget,” Andy responds.
“Forget?” says Red.
“That there are things in this world not carved out of gray stone.  That there’s a small place inside of us they can never lock away, that place called hope.”
“Hope’s a dangerous thing,” says Red.  “It's got no place here. Better get used to the idea.”
Well, Andy never does get used to it. For him the power of hope and some good friends keep him going even when all seems bleak. In the end, hope enables him to escape Shawshank and start a new life in freedom. As Andy says in a letter to Red:  “Remember, hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies.”
If there’s one thing we desperately need in our time, it’s hope. Publications as diverse as Fortune Magazine,  Psychology Today and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution call attention to an epidemic of hopelessness that grips our nation. Even the Brookings Institute, sees “America’s Crisis of Despair” effecting economies, jeopardizing personal well-being, health, and longevity, and influencing politics.
Theologian Jurgen Moltmann was spot-on when he said:  “Human beings can’t live without hope.”  To live without hope is to cease to live.  Hell is hopelessness.  It’s no accident that above the entrance to Dante’s hell is the inscription: ‘Leave behind all hope, you who enter here’” (in Theology of Hope).
But let’s be clear: the Christian virtue of “hope,” is not mere wishful thinking. Rather it’s to anticipate or expect with confidence and solid assurance.  It’s not a wannabe thought like: “I hope it doesn’t rain tomorrow,” or “I hope I get an ‘A’ on the exam.”
Nor is it mere optimism that longs for the best with no guarantee.  Christian hope is faith looking ahead to the fulfillment of God’s sure and certain promises.  Optimism is a wish without warrant. Our hope is future certainty, guaranteed by God himself.  
When David says in Psalm 62:5, “For God alone my soul waits in silence and quietly submits to Him, for my hope is from Him” (Amp. Bible) the Hebrew word translated “hope” literally means “a cord, as an attachment.”  In other words, hope is a lifeline.
Hope is a lifeline thrown to us when we're overwhelmed or struggling because of our circumstances. It’s a lifeline enabling us to hang-on 'til help comes, a lifeline that helps us persevere, infusing us with strength to endure and overcome, even when it feels like our world is falling apart.
But like a literal lifeline, hope is only as strong as that to which it’s tied.  When some-one is drowning, a lifeline is only as good as that which holds the other end. If it's tied to something flimsy or held by someone feeble: it’s useless!  If it's tied to a stout post or held by someone who’s muscular: it’s a life-saver.
So, before we can talk about what we hope for, we must first consider what we hope in.  Which presents a problem for many whose lifeline is tied to the wrong object or held by the wrong person.
Thus, God’s first invitation is to hear what Scripture says about misplaced hope by looking at some inadequate things to which we tie our hope ... like other people.
 
Who among us has never been disappointed or hurt by someone you trusted or put your hope in? You thought they were a friend only to discover they got close to you to get from you what they wanted for themselves; or they wanted to "rescue you”— you were their “project.” Even those we love and who love us, sometimes let us down. As, the prophet Isaiah warns, “Don’t put your trust in mere humans.  They’re as frail as a breath” (2:22).
That’s also true of governments and elected leaders. The Psalmist counsels in Psalm 146: Don’t put your trust in the rulers of this world—kings, princes, or presidents. Don’t expect any rescue to come from mortals. For as soon as their breath leaves them, all of them perish and die and their dreams, plans, and memories come to nothing (v’s 3-4, paraphrased).
Friends, be careful not to put your hope in a president to "save our country" or make it great again. During the campaign, promises are made that tap into our hunger for hope or grab onto our fears, saying only he can save our nation.  Then, after the election, we're told "Don't expect miracles!" If we vote and give our support, basing our hope on campaign rhetoric and promises, we discover it’s been misplaced. 
How often do we hear (or say): We need the government to do something!  To offer another program or pass another law. Yet, to expect the government to make things right, putting our hope in Washington, Trenton or Camden, is idolatry. It sets us up to be disappointed time and time again.
The Savior never has, doesn’t now and won’t ever reside in the White House, the state house, or a town hall.  Don’t let political rhetoric fool you.  If we tie our hope to other human beings, we will be let down sooner or later.
 
The same’s true if we tie hope’s lifeline to Money, Riches, or Wealth.
Every year between Thanksgiving and Christmas, it’s easy to see some version of “the most filmed story of all time”–Charles Dicken’s “A Christmas Carol.” Whether it’s the 1984 version starring George C. Scott, the earlier musical Scrooge with Albert Finney, or the 2009 Disney film with Jim Carrey, it’s the story of a man who tied his hope to a golden goddess only to realize it couldn’t buy true happiness.
Nevertheless, our culture continues down that same crooked path. Christmas itself has mutated into a consumer holiday, with "success" based on how much buying is done.  We spend money we don't have, on what other people don't need or want, hoping to get what we really desire but can't buy, which is LOVE!  As the Beatles once sang: "Can't buy me love."
Solomon says in Proverbs 11 that whoever trusts in riches will fall like a dry leaf in autumn, but those trusting in God’s provision, will flourish like green leaves in spring-time (v. 28). Paul reminds Timothy to tell those rich in this world not to ... put their hope in their wealth, which is uncertain; but instead to put their hope in God, who richly and continually provides ... (1 Tim. 6:17).
In Luke 12 Jesus tells the story of a wealthy landowner, whose farm produced a bumper crop, who says to himself: “I have a problem. My barn’s not big enough to hold it all. So, here’s what I’ll do: I’m gonna tear down my little barn and build a bigger one. Then, I’ll have plenty of room for it all and I’ll say to myself, ‘Self, you’ve done well! You’ve got it made. Retire, relax, and take it easy for years!’ And I’ll just sit back, eat, drink, and have a good time!”
But God interrupts him saying, “Excuse me, Mr. Brilliant, but your time has come. Tonight, you’ll die. Then, who’s going to enjoy all your stuff?”
Jesus sums it up saying: “So, take care to protect yourself against even the least bit of greed. For, life’s not defined by what you have, even when you have a lot”(12:15-21). 
Don’t tie your hope to money, riches, or wealth..  And ...
The self-centeredness of “Mr. Brilliant” also cautions us not to tie hope to ourselves!
As Proverbs says: Anyone who trusts in their own wits is a self-confident fool (28: 26a); and Jesus adds: “Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted" (Mt. 23:12).
A minister, boy scout & a computer executive were together in a small plane when the pilot said the plane’s going down.  However, there were only three parachutes and four people.  The pilot said, "I should have one of the parachutes since I have a wife and three small children.” He grabbed one and jumped. The computer executive said, "I’m the smartest man in the world and they need me, so I should have a para-chute.” He grabbed one and jumped.  The minister turned to the boy scout and with a sad smile said, "You’re young and I’ve lived a good life, so you take the parachute. I'll go down with the plane."  The boy scout said, "Relax, Reverend.  The smartest man in the world just grabbed my knapsack and jumped out of the plane."
Friends: beware of tying hope to yourself—you may be jumping out of an airplane with a knapsack in your hands!
 
Then, as a kind of “catch-all”, the Bible says not to put our hope in “idols,” which are not just images craved out of stone or made of wood but anything we value more than we value God!  It’s what we’re so obsessed with, or addicted to, that it displaces devotion to God!
 
It can be an object or activity which means more to you than Jesus, something to which you devote all your time, energy, imagination, or money. For some, it may be cars, clothing, a house at the shore or even membership in a particular club or organization.  It can be the ‘dream job’ toward which you build a resumé.  Then, when you get it, it becomes all-consuming, demanding more and more time at the office, on the road or in meetings. For some, recreation becomes an idol, be it sailing, softball, travel, partying, or a myriad of other distractions.
An idol is anything you make, buy, do, or own that directs your life and displaces devotion to God.  It can even be something religious, as with those who make church an idol or see a particular program or ministry as something that can’t be touched, altered or ended.
But the biggest problem with idols is that first we shape them, then they shape us!   The psalmist says:
Their idols are silver and gold, made by human hands.
They have mouths, but can’t speak; eyes, but can’t see;
   ears, but can’t hear; and noses, but can’t smell.
They have hands, but can’t feel;  feet, but can’t walk,
       nor can they utter a sound with their throats.
Those who make them will be like them,
       and so will all who trust in them. (115:4-8; cf. 135:15-18)
Beware, says the psalmist! That which we worship, shapes us in its own image; and then, if it’s the wrong thing, takes us captive to empty hope.
In the words of missionary doctor, Albert Schweitzer: “If you own something you cannot give away, you don't own it, it owns you.”  That’s idolatry.
These are some of the inadequate places to which we might tie our hope.  All of which will bend, break, and drop us in a pit of despite.  For…
The LORD our God is the only Adequate One to which we can tie our hope-line…as knew a Canaanite woman named Rahab.
In the OT book of Joshua, the Israelites were coming into the promised land. Those living in the city of Jericho heard all the stories of God’s mighty deliverances and miracles on behalf of His people. They learned of the plagues with which God ravaged Egypt and how He defeated Pharoah’s grand army at the Red Sea.  They were aware of how God destroyed two powerful Amorite kings. As a result, the king and all of Jericho despaired, feeling helpless and afraid.
Yet, in the face of such overwhelming odds, one Canaanite woman believed in the God of heaven and earth and set out to align herself with the Lord and His people. Trusting God, Rahab hoped to be spared the fate of those who opposed God and His people.odand    
Rahab’s hope was no mere whim or wish. She acted on it; providing shelter for two Israelite spies sent on a recon mission into Jericho, even helping them safely escape the authorities. But not before she declared her faith in God and asked the spies to make sure she and her family would be spared.
While the two spies had no idea what God’s plan was to take the city, they promised to save Rahab and her family. As a token of this promise, Rahab needed to tie a red cord in the window of her house located on the city wall. Which she did.
That piece of cord was her lifeline of steadfast hope in God and belief in the promise to save her life.  Which was no small thing, for she and her family were the only ones spared when Jericho was destroyed.
As the Scripture poetically tells us:
My soul finds rest in God;
    my hope comes from Him.
Truly He is my rock and my salvation;
    He is my fortress, I will not be shaken.
This I call to mind and therefore I have hope:
Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed,
    for His compassions never fail.
They’re new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. (Psa. 62:5-6; Lam. 3:21-23)
 
Friends, TIE YOUR HOPE TO THE LORD!  Nothing else will do!  Don't tie it to people, no matter how capable they seem; they’re not solid enough to hold your hope-line.   Don't tie it to money or wealth; it's not sturdy enough to sustain you, in spite of its lucrative promises.  Don't tie it to yourself, no matter how competent or talented you are. What drowning person ties both ends of a lifeline to himself?  Don't tie it to the supposed power of a government or leader which is insufficient to hold you.  And don't tie it to an idol of any kind, which is an illusion.  Tie your hope to the LORD!  Only He is an anchor strong enough to hold your life. The Bible calls the Lord A STRONG, ETERNAL ROCK. Tie your scarlet cord in the window and your lifeline to the one who is our Rock and Redeemer.
In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.