Hebrews 11:1
Advent Week 1: Unshakeable Hope
Biblical hope is not wishful thinking but a confident expectation anchored in God. Hebrews 11:1 says faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. This first Advent message builds hope on four foundations: God’s promise, his presence, his faithfulness and his future, and calls us to one daily habit that keeps us near him.
Message notes
Pastor Pat opens the first Sunday of Advent by reading Hebrews 11:1 and thanking the kids, who were in the service on a fifth Sunday. He loves seeing several generations worship together, because faith at 12 looks different from faith at 27.
He cites a LifeWay survey in which 40 percent of Americans said they felt hopeless, and many said they found their hope in relationships or financial stability. We usually say “I hope” with uncertainty: I hope traffic isn’t bad, I hope the power comes back on. Biblical hope is different. It is a confident expectation anchored in who God is. Pat is not talking about toxic positivity that denies what is hard, but about trusting that Jesus is in control of what we cannot control.
Advent, from the Latin for “arrival,” began in the fourth century as a season of preparation. It looks back at Christ’s first coming and forward to his return. Pat says hope is built on a foundation, not a feeling, and names four.
The first is God’s promise. God promised Abraham he would bless the nations through him. Seven hundred years before Jesus, Isaiah promised Immanuel, and an angel told Mary her son would reign forever. The heart of the promise was never more stuff. It was that God would be with us forever. We trade treasures for trinkets, Pat says, when what our souls ache for is God himself.
The second is God’s presence. Again and again God says, “I am with you.” Hebrews 13:5 tells us to keep free from the love of money because he will never leave us. Pat talks about holding each of his three children as newborns, including a daughter they nearly lost during pregnancy after earlier miscarriages, and about 18 years of a marriage built on ordinary yeses. Hope grows when we are close.
The third is God’s faithfulness. Jeremiah was in a low place, yet he called to mind that because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed. Paul says suffering produces perseverance, character and hope. Pat says it is all right to hope again.
The fourth is God’s future. Revelation 21 promises God will dwell with his people and wipe away every tear. Pat shares that the church had lost a brother just before Thanksgiving, and that he is now whole in God’s presence.
He closes by asking everyone to choose one practice that anchors them in hope, and points to an Advent devotional he wrote for families and to a family rhythms workshop.
From the message
Because he will never leave you. Money will, he won’t.
They outsourced your job. Jesus can’t outsource his love to anybody.
Our hope is not built on a feeling. It’s built on a foundation of God’s faithfulness.
Because I believe that hope grows in habits.
Life Group discussion guide
Advent Week 1: Unshakeable Hope, Hebrews 11:1. November 30, 2025.
Start here
What is something you are hoping for this Christmas season, big or small?
Read Hebrews 11:1
Open your Bibles and read it out loud together before you start.
What does it say?
How does Hebrews 11:1 describe faith, and what two things does it connect it to?
In Lamentations 3:21-23, what does the writer call to mind, and what does he say about God’s compassions?
What does the voice from the throne promise in Revelation 21:3-4?
What does it mean?
Pastor Pat said we usually say “I hope” with uncertainty, but biblical hope is a confident expectation. What makes the difference?
Hebrews 13:5 ties contentment to God’s promise, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” Why would God’s presence free us from the love of money?
What do we do with it?
Where have you placed your hope in something that let you down, like a person, a job or money? What would anchoring that hope in Jesus look like?
Pastor Pat challenged us to choose one practice that anchors us in hope. What is yours, and when in your day will you do it?
Pray
Pray Jeremiah’s words over the hard places people named: “The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.” Ask God to grow hope in you as you spend time in his presence this Advent.
New Hope Hawaii Kai. Watch the message and read the notes at newhopehk.org/sermons/1607/