February 2nd, 2026
by Pastor Alex Wilson
by Pastor Alex Wilson
“EXPECTATION AND HOPE” Lesson 1
Intro. Tonight and next week I’m going to teach on something I’ve given a lot of thought to over the last several years about expectation and hope.
So, I’m calling this series, “Expectation and Hope!”
My prayer for this series is that our expectation and hope will be raised higher!
We are living in a time when the devil is doing his utmost to steal believer’s hope in life and toward the future.
Even though “the times” may be uncertain our hopes are not or should not be in “the times” or what is happening around us.
Our hope is or should be in the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, Jesus Christ! He rules over everything and has the final say over everything!
Paul linked hope with the phrase “earnest expectation” in
Philippians 1:20.
Philippians 1:20 (NKJV)
according to my earnest expectation and hope that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death.
Paul’s expectation and hope was that Jesus would be magnified or made bigger to others through Him.
We should be constantly expectant and hopeful of something from God, of Him doing something for us or doing something through us!
ex. Healing in our body, intervening in our family, using us to reach someone else for Jesus or praying for someone else’s need of healing or some other need in their life.
God wants to continually be doing things in and through us and it’s important for us to live in expectation and hope of His intervention.
Luke 11:9–10 (NKJV)
9 “So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.
10 For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.
Matthew 7:11 (NKJV)
If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!
Jesus said our earthly fathers are “evil” compared with how good God the Father is!
I understand many had dads that were neglectful or worse.
But we all have a heavenly Father that knows how to give good things to us who ask Him!
As mentioned earlier, Paul linked hope with the phrase “earnest expectation” in Philippians 1:20
I. OUR OUTLOOK
A. OUR OUTLOOK ON LIFE WILL DETERMINE OUR QUALITY OF
LIFE
1. Our outlook will affect everything
a. It will affect our enjoyment of life
ex.If we have a negative and bleak outlook towards life then our life is going to be negative and bleak!
On the other hand, if our outlook is positive and bright towards life, our life will be positive and bright!
b. Our outlook will affect our health
If we lean towards the negative it affects our health. Even psychologists and sociologists will tell you this.
We’ll be healthier and feel better with a hopeful outlook.
c. A hopeful outlook will affect our future
Jeremiah 29:11–13 (NKJV)
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.
12 Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you.
13 And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.
Our thoughts need to be aligned with God’s thoughts.
“…thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.”
The purpose of this series is to cause us to HOPE HIGHER!
If we’re not careful our outlook for the future can be tentative and cautious. “Well, we’ll see,” or worse, “everything is going down the tubes!”
As believers in Jesus Christ our outlook should be hope-full, filled with hope!
I believe we are living in the last days and that means things will be challenging.
Luke 21:25–28 (NKJV)
25 “And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars; and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring;
26 men’s hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.
27 Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.
28 Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near.”
B. THERE ARE TWO DIFFERENT RESPONSES MENTIONED TO
THE LAST DAYS HERE
1. For the unbeliever it may be frightening
a. Jesus said so much so that hearts will fail from fear
and expectation of what’s coming
b. This is a time of real opportunity for us as believers to
share Jesus with others
c. Whether they express it outwardly or not many feel
anxious, uncertain, and some even desperate about
their lives and their future
d. We offer hope to those who feel hopeless
2. The second response alluded to in Jesus’ statement of
the last days is the believer’s sense of expectation and
hope
Luke 21:28 (NKJV)
28 Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near.”
We are to be hopeful in the last days that Jesus is coming!
And before He comes there are promises throughout the word of God of His pouring out His Spirit in an unprecedented way!
B. HOPE AS IT IS USED IN THE BIBLE MEANS “A CONFIDENT
EXPECTATION OF GOOD FROM GOD!”
1. We should be hope-full!
“God is about to do something incredible in and through my life!”
2. When Paul writes in Philippians 1:20, “according to
my earnest expectation and hope,” he was in the
worst of circumstances
a. He is in a dark, bleak, prison cell
b. And yet he has a sense of expectation and hope
Paul’s wording is specific, “my earnest expectation and hope!”
He owned it! “my earnest expectation and hope.” (And he wrote it from a prison cell!)
If he can have that kind of outlook in those surroundings surely we can by the grace of God have that sense of intense anticipation and hope toward our lives and the future!
3. We need to own it!
a. Remember, “earnest expectation” means, “intense
anticipation”
ex.Our finances may be tight now, but we can anticipate God helping us!
1 Kings 17:2–4 (NKJV)
2 Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying,
“3 Get away from here and turn eastward, and hide by the Brook Cherith, which flows into the Jordan.
4 And it will be that you shall drink from the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there.”
In 1Kings 17 Elijah was in a time of drought and God sent him to the Brook Cherith and had the ravens bring him bread and meat for breakfast and dinner.
But then the brook dried up! This was what God had used to meet his need and then the brook dried up.
It didn’t mean God had stopped providing. He was just going to provide a different way. He sent him to a widow woman.
1 Kings 17:8–9 (NKJV)
8 Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying,
9 “Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and dwell there. See, I have commanded a widow there to provide for you.”
This widow only had a little cooking oil and cornmeal. (I guess it was cornmeal. It only says, “meal.”)
But God had a plan and He provided for Elijah, the widow, and her son.
This is my point. Even when it looks like things seem to have dried up in our lives or we don’t have enough to meet the need, God always has a plan to provide for us.
Hebrews 11:1 (NKJV)
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
Romans 15:13 (NKJV)
Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
This was a prayer Paul was praying.
2 Corinthians 4:18 (NKJV)
while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.
Our outlook must be higher than the things we can see in the natural.
Our outlook must be on a God who isn’t limited by the things we can see happening around us!
B. WE CAN AFFORD TO HAVE A POSITIVE OUTLOOK; AN
INTENSE ANTICIPATION AND HOPE FOR OUR LIVES!
1 Peter 1:3 (NKJV)
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.
We don’t have a mediocre or hope so kind of hope. It’s not passive. It’s powerful.
It’s a living hope! An alive kind of hope! It’s a, resurrected from the dead and never dying again, kind of hope!
Our hope is linked to and revolves around Jesus’ resurrection from the dead. If He can pull that off, He can do anything. (Our hope comes from this.)
PRAYER AND CONFESSION: Thank You Jesus, for Your resurrection power. You can and do resurrect my hope. My outlook for the future is hope-full. You give me an intense anticipation for what’s ahead. You are the God of hope. You fill me with all joy and peace in believing. I abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit in me, in Your name Jesus, Amen.
So, I’m calling this series, “Expectation and Hope!”
My prayer for this series is that our expectation and hope will be raised higher!
We are living in a time when the devil is doing his utmost to steal believer’s hope in life and toward the future.
Even though “the times” may be uncertain our hopes are not or should not be in “the times” or what is happening around us.
Our hope is or should be in the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, Jesus Christ! He rules over everything and has the final say over everything!
Paul linked hope with the phrase “earnest expectation” in
Philippians 1:20.
Philippians 1:20 (NKJV)
according to my earnest expectation and hope that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death.
Paul’s expectation and hope was that Jesus would be magnified or made bigger to others through Him.
We should be constantly expectant and hopeful of something from God, of Him doing something for us or doing something through us!
ex. Healing in our body, intervening in our family, using us to reach someone else for Jesus or praying for someone else’s need of healing or some other need in their life.
God wants to continually be doing things in and through us and it’s important for us to live in expectation and hope of His intervention.
Luke 11:9–10 (NKJV)
9 “So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.
10 For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.
- This is talking about a keen expectation and hope of receiving!
Matthew 7:11 (NKJV)
If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!
Jesus said our earthly fathers are “evil” compared with how good God the Father is!
I understand many had dads that were neglectful or worse.
But we all have a heavenly Father that knows how to give good things to us who ask Him!
- My goal tonight is to “hopefully” cause us all to expect and anticipate more from God in and through our lives!
- Next week we’re going to look at four specific ways of how we can increase our expectation and hope
As mentioned earlier, Paul linked hope with the phrase “earnest expectation” in Philippians 1:20
- “earnest expectation” means literally, “to watch with intense anticipation”
- This is why hope is so important
- It has to do with what we’re watching for, looking for, or in other words our outlook!
I. OUR OUTLOOK
A. OUR OUTLOOK ON LIFE WILL DETERMINE OUR QUALITY OF
LIFE
1. Our outlook will affect everything
a. It will affect our enjoyment of life
ex.If we have a negative and bleak outlook towards life then our life is going to be negative and bleak!
On the other hand, if our outlook is positive and bright towards life, our life will be positive and bright!
b. Our outlook will affect our health
If we lean towards the negative it affects our health. Even psychologists and sociologists will tell you this.
We’ll be healthier and feel better with a hopeful outlook.
c. A hopeful outlook will affect our future
Jeremiah 29:11–13 (NKJV)
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.
12 Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you.
13 And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.
Our thoughts need to be aligned with God’s thoughts.
“…thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.”
The purpose of this series is to cause us to HOPE HIGHER!
If we’re not careful our outlook for the future can be tentative and cautious. “Well, we’ll see,” or worse, “everything is going down the tubes!”
As believers in Jesus Christ our outlook should be hope-full, filled with hope!
I believe we are living in the last days and that means things will be challenging.
Luke 21:25–28 (NKJV)
25 “And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars; and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring;
26 men’s hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.
27 Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.
28 Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near.”
B. THERE ARE TWO DIFFERENT RESPONSES MENTIONED TO
THE LAST DAYS HERE
1. For the unbeliever it may be frightening
a. Jesus said so much so that hearts will fail from fear
and expectation of what’s coming
b. This is a time of real opportunity for us as believers to
share Jesus with others
c. Whether they express it outwardly or not many feel
anxious, uncertain, and some even desperate about
their lives and their future
d. We offer hope to those who feel hopeless
2. The second response alluded to in Jesus’ statement of
the last days is the believer’s sense of expectation and
hope
Luke 21:28 (NKJV)
28 Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near.”
We are to be hopeful in the last days that Jesus is coming!
And before He comes there are promises throughout the word of God of His pouring out His Spirit in an unprecedented way!
B. HOPE AS IT IS USED IN THE BIBLE MEANS “A CONFIDENT
EXPECTATION OF GOOD FROM GOD!”
1. We should be hope-full!
“God is about to do something incredible in and through my life!”
2. When Paul writes in Philippians 1:20, “according to
my earnest expectation and hope,” he was in the
worst of circumstances
a. He is in a dark, bleak, prison cell
b. And yet he has a sense of expectation and hope
Paul’s wording is specific, “my earnest expectation and hope!”
He owned it! “my earnest expectation and hope.” (And he wrote it from a prison cell!)
If he can have that kind of outlook in those surroundings surely we can by the grace of God have that sense of intense anticipation and hope toward our lives and the future!
- Everything will be affected by our outlook, what we are watching and looking for
- I want to urge us all toward an “earnest expectation” an “intense anticipation towards what God is going to do; in our lives, our health, our future, our nation, EVERYTHING!
3. We need to own it!
a. Remember, “earnest expectation” means, “intense
anticipation”
ex.Our finances may be tight now, but we can anticipate God helping us!
1 Kings 17:2–4 (NKJV)
2 Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying,
“3 Get away from here and turn eastward, and hide by the Brook Cherith, which flows into the Jordan.
4 And it will be that you shall drink from the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there.”
In 1Kings 17 Elijah was in a time of drought and God sent him to the Brook Cherith and had the ravens bring him bread and meat for breakfast and dinner.
But then the brook dried up! This was what God had used to meet his need and then the brook dried up.
It didn’t mean God had stopped providing. He was just going to provide a different way. He sent him to a widow woman.
1 Kings 17:8–9 (NKJV)
8 Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying,
9 “Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and dwell there. See, I have commanded a widow there to provide for you.”
This widow only had a little cooking oil and cornmeal. (I guess it was cornmeal. It only says, “meal.”)
But God had a plan and He provided for Elijah, the widow, and her son.
This is my point. Even when it looks like things seem to have dried up in our lives or we don’t have enough to meet the need, God always has a plan to provide for us.
- There’s always hope with God!
- But we need to cultivate an intense anticipation that He is going to come through; it’s called faith!
Hebrews 11:1 (NKJV)
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
- “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for...
- Faith and hope are in the NOW for what God is going to do THEN!
- WE NEED IT NOW! (It affects our whole life; our outlook, faith, hope, expectation in the NOW!)
- What we believe for and hope for now will affect what happens later
Romans 15:13 (NKJV)
Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
This was a prayer Paul was praying.
- Hope is a confident expectation of good from God!
2 Corinthians 4:18 (NKJV)
while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.
Our outlook must be higher than the things we can see in the natural.
Our outlook must be on a God who isn’t limited by the things we can see happening around us!
- We need to have an “earnest expectation and hope!”
B. WE CAN AFFORD TO HAVE A POSITIVE OUTLOOK; AN
INTENSE ANTICIPATION AND HOPE FOR OUR LIVES!
1 Peter 1:3 (NKJV)
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.
We don’t have a mediocre or hope so kind of hope. It’s not passive. It’s powerful.
It’s a living hope! An alive kind of hope! It’s a, resurrected from the dead and never dying again, kind of hope!
Our hope is linked to and revolves around Jesus’ resurrection from the dead. If He can pull that off, He can do anything. (Our hope comes from this.)
PRAYER AND CONFESSION: Thank You Jesus, for Your resurrection power. You can and do resurrect my hope. My outlook for the future is hope-full. You give me an intense anticipation for what’s ahead. You are the God of hope. You fill me with all joy and peace in believing. I abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit in me, in Your name Jesus, Amen.
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1 Comment
I remind myself of this so I will continue to walk in it. Not just have an intellectual ascent. Thank you. Hope I didn't intrude into the wrong group. Apologize if I have.