The Anticipation of Hope

Speaker: Steve Little (Pastor)

Date: November 30th, 2025

The Anticipation of Hope

Over the next few weeks, we are going to focus on Advents. Advent means the “arrival” or “coming”, Christ’s arrival.  For us, as followers of Christ Advent is twofold: First it is a time to pause and reflect back through scripture and time looking at what led up to Christ’s coming and His birth, God with us. But it does not end there because Advent, again meaning “coming” is also a time to prepare for His second coming as recorded in scripture.

So, through this Advent month we will look at The Anticipation of Hope; The Anticipation of Peace; The Anticipation of Joy; The Anticipation of Love and end Christmas Eve with The Anticipation of Christ.

The Anticipation of Hope:

Hope, what a wonderful word.

·         Let’s deal with some things about hope:

First, have you ever noticed hope is always attached to something or someone that is going to make our lives better, more fulfilling, easier.  Hope is attached to relationships, goals we have for ourselves, political outcomes, jobs and even recreation.

Second, hope is always focused on the future. I hope this will take place….

Third, there is difference between how the word hope is used today verses hope in the Bible.

May I say write from the get go, ‘The difference between how we use the word hope in our society today and biblical hope is wrapped up in, “who and what do we put our hope in.”

When I was attending Bible College, just a year after I had come to know Jesus (still young in faith), I wrote a letter to a pastor that had quite a lot of influence in my life, Al Hulten. Somewhere in that letter I had made this statement, ‘I hope this works out.’  A few days later I received a call from Pastor Al.  He said something like this, “Steve I received your letter and am so glad you have started your biblical education. But I am concerned about one of your statements, ‘I hope this works out.’  In love I need to tell you that your statement is not a statement of biblical hope. Biblical hope is a confident expectation in God, His word, His promises, His leading, biblical hope is based on what He said has said, He will do.”

I am sure he gave me some examples from scriptures to study, he always had before, to help me move toward the way of Jesus.  I cannot remember what they were but as I was remembering that conversation this week and preparing for this message, I started having scriptures go through my mind. Scriptures of God’s promises, His words, His future. 

Hebrews chapter 11 was on the top of my list.  It opens with this line, “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not yet seen. God spoke the creation in to existence from nothing.  Then as we read Hebrews chapter 11 we look at people in history that walked in hope, in the promises of God gave them.

Hope in our day is more like wishful thinking or personal optimism, my dreams for the future:

Websters definition: hope is to cherish a desire with anticipation. It involves wanting something to happen in the future and believing it is possible or likely to occur. (This is all generated for self and by self.) 

I hope for good health and a long life.  

I hope my marriage works out.

I hope by this or that I will have inner peace and self-confidence.

I hope by this or that I will overcome personal challenges.

I hope there will be positive changes in the world politically and socially.

Please hear me here.  I am not saying this is bad.  We as people cannot help but hope. But this type of hope can be very upsetting when it fails.  When we put hope in a person and they fail, when we put hope in a thing and its good for a while but not in the long run. John Mark Comer, pastor, stated this and I would have to agree.  “The opposite of hope is disappointment.”

But Biblical hope is: The expectation of good based upon the purposes and promises of God.  

Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.

Our Focus Points

Biblical Hope always:

·         Looks Toward the Future

·         Is Grounded in the Past

·         Endures In the Present

·         Biblical Hope Always Looks Toward the Future:

Luke 1:30-32 Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.  And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David.

In the context of our scripture. The Hebrew people knew about and were waiting for a deliverer to come. They had learned this through the history of their ancestors, through the Torah, through the prophets, through the Psalms. Did you know that there are at minimum 300 prophesies concerning this deliverer and his coming. They knew he would be from the lineage of David; they knew where he would be born; they knew he would set up an everlasting kingdom and they knew his kingdom would affect all nations.

Orthodox Jews today are still watching for His coming.

Here are just two:

Isaiah 7:14 Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel (God with us).

Isaiah 9:6-7 For unto us a Child is born,
Unto us a Son is given;
And the government will be upon His shoulder.
And His name will be called
Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Of the increase of His government and peace
There will be no end,
Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom,
To order it and establish it with judgment and justice
From that time forward, even forever.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.

·         Hope Is Always Grounded in the Past:

Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.  For by it the elders obtained a good testimony.

Romans 4:16-22 Therefore it is of faith that it might be according to grace, so that the promise might be sure to all the seed, not only to those who are of the law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all  (as it is written, “I have made you a father of many nations”) in the presence of Him whom he believed—God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did; who, contrary to hope, in hope believed, so that he became the father of many nations, according to what was spoken, “So shall your descendants be.” 19 And not being weak in faith, he did not consider his own body, already dead (since he was about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah’s womb.  He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform. And therefore “it was accounted to him for righteousness.”

“Hope acts on the conviction that God will complete the work that He begun even when the appearances, especially when appearances, oppose it.” 

Eugene Peterson, theologian.

·         Hope Always Endures in the Present:

Have you ever just stopped and noticed that the hope in scripture is almost always attached to troubling times, times that we have to go through something difficult or have to be patient for the outcome. This brings us to our other scripture reading today:

Luke 24:21 But we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel. Indeed, besides all this, today is the third day since these things happened.

As we read the rest of Luke 24 Jesus shows Himself to them, reminds them that the Christ should suffer and die, but as they are now seeing, He also shows Himself alive just as He promised. 

Romans 5:3-5 And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

As we face things, all the uncertainties in life, where is our hope today?

Remember Christ came once but He is also coming a second time.  As the Jewish people of old waited for a messiah, we also walk in faith that we will see Jesus return and see Him face to face.

Revelation 21:4 God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and death shall be no more, neither shall there be anguish (sorrow and mourning) nor grief nor pain any more, for the old conditions and the former order of things have passed away.

Paul wrote in Romans chapter 15 and verse 19 If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.

Our hope is in Christ’s promises now and in His promises for future.