Bible Study About Hope: Confident Expectation

HOPE: A CONFIDENT EXPECTATION IN GOD

Brethren, hear this truth and let it settle deep into your soul – hope is not wishful thinking. Hope is not a frail candle flickering in the wind. Hope is a blazing torch held high in the storm, anchored in the unchanging promises of God.

The Bible calls it a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul (Hebrews 6:19). When the world says, “Maybe,” faith-filled hope declares, “Most certainly!” When doubt whispers, “What if?”, hope shouts, “God will!”

Praise the Lord! Our hope is not built on emotion, circumstance, or human optimism. It stands upon the solid rock of God’s Word. Biblical hope is confident expectation, grounded in the eternal faithfulness of our Lord Jesus Christ – the One who died, rose, and will return in glory.

If the storms of life have left your faith trembling, it’s time to drop anchor again in the depths of God’s promise.

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1. WHAT IS HOPE? THE CONFIDENCE THAT GOD WILL DO WHAT HE SAID

Friends, the world hopes like a gambler at a slot machine – pulling a lever, crossing fingers, and wishing luck. But the child of God hopes like a soldier who knows his Commander never loses a battle.

The Hebrew word batach means secure trust, and qavah means eager waiting – the same root as tiqvah, meaning “cord.” Remember Rahab’s scarlet cord? That cord was literally called hope (Joshua 2:18). It was her lifeline – her visible declaration that God’s mercy would hold.

In the New Testament, the Greek elpis means confident expectation – no doubt, no hesitation. Paul said we “set our hope in the living God” (1 Timothy 4:10). Hope isn’t uncertain. It’s as solid as the One we trust.

Ask yourself – what kind of hope do you have? Is it wishful or anchored? Hebrews 11:1 says, “Faith is the substance of things hoped for.” Faith and hope are partners – faith believes now, hope looks forward. Faith says, “God can.” Hope says, “He will.”

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2. HOPE IN THE OLD TESTAMENT: TRUST WHILE YOU WAIT

Praise be to God, hope has always been forged in waiting. David cried out, “Why art thou cast down, O my soul? Hope thou in God!” (Psalm 42:5). That’s not casual talk – it’s warfare. He was commanding his own soul to trust.

Abraham “hoped against hope” (Romans 4:18). When his body was dead, his faith was alive. He believed God could create life out of impossibility. And He did. That’s hope that endures delay and defies despair.

Even Jeremiah, surrounded by ruins, declared, “It is of the LORD’s mercies that we are not consumed… therefore I have hope” (Lamentations 3:22-24). In other words, “I’m still breathing, so God isn’t done.” That’s hope that survives the fire.

When you can’t see the promise yet, hold the cord like Rahab. Tie it in your window of faith and say, “Lord, I’m waiting – but I’m waiting expectantly.”

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3. HOPE IN THE NEW TESTAMENT: JESUS CHRIST, OUR LIVING HOPE

Praise the Lord, hope came walking on two feet when Jesus entered the world. The prophets longed to see what we now know. Christ fulfilled every ancient expectation, and now He is our expectation.

Peter wrote, “Blessed be the God… who hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” (1 Peter 1:3). Did you hear that? Living hope! Hope that breathes, walks, conquers, and reigns. Hope that got up out of the tomb.

Paul called Jesus “our hope” (1 Timothy 1:1). And what is that hope? That the same Jesus who rose will return – “that blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Saviour” (Titus 2:13).

Friends, our hope is not a theory. It’s a person. It’s Jesus. And He’s coming back.

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4. THE CHARACTER OF HOPE: TRUST, WAITING, EXPECTATION

Thank you, Lord, for teaching us that hope is not passive. It’s trust stretched over time, faith under pressure, and expectation wrapped in endurance.

Psalm 130:5 says, “I wait for the LORD, my soul doth wait, and in His word do I hope.” Hope waits, not because it’s weak, but because it knows the timetable belongs to God.

And Isaiah 40:31 promises, “They that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength.” The waiting is not wasted. It’s the gymnasium of faith. Each delay is a spiritual workout producing endurance, patience, and deeper trust.

So don’t mistake God’s silence for absence. While you wait, hope is growing roots.

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5. INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE HOPEFUL: STAND FIRM AND SHINE BRIGHT

Brethren, hope is not optional – it’s commanded. The Word says, “Hope thou in God” (Psalm 42:5). “Rejoice in hope” (Romans 12:12). “Hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering” (Hebrews 10:23).

When the world panics, we stand. When fear spreads, we sing. When uncertainty rises, we lift our heads. Peter said, “Be ready to give an answer… for the hope that is in you” (1 Peter 3:15). Your hope is your testimony.

Wear it like a helmet (1 Thessalonians 5:8). Guard your mind with it. Speak it. Live it. Radiate it. Because people are dying of hopelessness, and God has made you a living billboard of His promise.

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6. EXAMPLES OF HOPE IN ACTION

Abraham believed when all reason said no.
David praised in the cave.
Jeremiah wept, yet still said, “I have hope.”
The apostles sang in prisons and faced death smiling.
And ordinary people – like the woman who touched Jesus’ garment – hoped their way into healing.

Each of them teaches us: hope changes everything. It lifts you from despair to destiny.

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7. THE BLESSINGS OF HOPE

Hope produces joy (Romans 15:13), strength (Isaiah 40:31), courage (Psalm 31:24), purity (1 John 3:3), and peace (Romans 5:1-5). It’s a spiritual engine that keeps you moving when others stall.

“Hope maketh not ashamed,” Paul said (Romans 5:5). Why? Because the love of God has already proven itself in our hearts. Hope doesn’t end in disappointment – it ends in fulfillment.

So if your joy feels drained, refill it with hope. If your faith feels shaky, steady it with hope. It’s your anchor – unseen, but unbreakable.

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8. SYMBOLS AND PICTURES OF HOPE

The Bible paints hope vividly:

• An Anchor of the Soul (Hebrews 6:19) – it holds you when life’s waves rage.
• A Helmet (1 Thessalonians 5:8) – it guards your mind from despair.
• A Door of Hope (Hosea 2:15) – even in your Valley of Trouble, God opens a way out.
• A Scarlet Cord (Joshua 2:18) – the lifeline of salvation through faith.
• Light in Darkness (Isaiah 9:2) – the dawn that breaks every night of fear.

These are not poetic fluff – they are God’s way of saying, “My hope works. My hope holds.”

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9. CHRIST: THE FULFILLMENT AND SOURCE OF HOPE

Every shadow in the Old Testament points to Jesus. He is the promise kept, the prophecy fulfilled, the hope realized. He is the Lamb, the King, the Door, the Vine, the Resurrection, the Life.

All the hopes of the ages converge in Him. And because He came once, we know He will come again. That’s why our hope doesn’t just look back – it looks ahead.

“Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27). He’s not just the object of your hope; He’s the source of it.

So don’t just hope for something – hope in Someone. He’s faithful to finish what He started.

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10. THE PATTERN OF HOPE: SUFFERING THEN GLORY

From Genesis to Revelation, hope follows a pattern: pain, promise, waiting, fulfillment. Adam fell, but God promised a seed. Israel wept in exile, but God promised return. Jesus died, but He rose again.

So when your own story hits the dark chapter, remember – the pattern hasn’t changed. The God who brought resurrection after crucifixion will bring morning after your night.

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11. OUR DOCTRINE OF HOPE: SALVATION, RESURRECTION, RETURN

We are saved in hope (Romans 8:24). We have hope of resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:19). And we wait for the blessed hope (Titus 2:13) – the return of Jesus Christ.

Each doctrine is dripping with hope because every promise of God is sealed with “Yes and Amen” in Christ (2 Corinthians 1:20).

So fix your eyes upward. The trumpet will sound. The dead will rise. Every tear will dry. Every promise will stand complete in glory.

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CONCLUSION: HOLD FAST, HOPE STRONG

Brethren, if ever there was a time for hope, it’s now. The world trembles, but we stand on the Rock. The nations rage, but our anchor holds.

Lift your head. Straighten your spine. Look to the hills from whence cometh your help. The Lord of Hope has not abandoned His people.

Say it aloud if you must: “The Lord is my portion; therefore will I hope in Him.” (Lamentations 3:24)

Praise be to God! Our hope is not dead – it is alive. And one day soon, the clouds will part, the trumpet will sound, and Hope Himself will appear. Until then, keep the cord tied, keep the lamp burning, keep the anchor firm.

Because this isn’t just optimism.
This is certainty clothed in patience.
This is hope that never fails.

Amen and amen.