{"id":6659,"date":"2020-06-26T18:31:23","date_gmt":"2020-06-26T22:31:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/christskingdom.org\/staging\/8402\/?p=6659"},"modified":"2026-06-04T16:13:26","modified_gmt":"2026-06-04T20:13:26","slug":"when-life-is-hard-you-need-hope","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/christskingdom.org\/staging\/8402\/when-life-is-hard-you-need-hope\/","title":{"rendered":"When Life is Hard, You Need Hope (176)"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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When Life is Hard, You Need Hope<\/h1>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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By Steven J. Hogan<\/p>\n

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~ A Saturday Morning Post #176 ~

<\/em>When a runner runs his race, he needs to know there\u2019s a reason to run the race, that it has purpose. He needs to know the race will come to an end, that it will soon be over. He needs to know that it\u2019s worth it to run the race, that he will be rewarded for his efforts. That is, a runner needs hope, which is what each and every Christian needs. To run the \u201crace that is set before us,\u201d<\/em> the race God has given you, you need hope – you can\u2019t live life without it. You will get sick and suffer pain. You will have spiritual battles, personal struggles and be persecuted. You will get tired, feel defeated, be discouraged, and at times want to give up. And now there\u2019s this present crisis in our country, with all the riots, violence, destruction, anarchy, etc. In all this, you have to have hope if you are going to be able to run and win the race God has for you. Hebrews 12:1-3

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How do we define hope? It\u2019s a reason to live. It\u2019s what you don\u2019t have now but believe God will give you in the ages to come. It\u2019s expecting God to bless you in the future for your work for Him in the present. More specifically, hope is God\u2019s promise to you that you will be in heaven with Jesus, with believers, in a glorified body, and that you will be eternally rewarded. Hebrews 12:22-24

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There\u2019s something else you need to know, which is that your hope as a Christian relates directly to God\u2019s promises to the Jewish people. In the Old Testament you read extensively about God\u2019s future plans for Jewish believers, and these plans relate directly to what God has in store for Christians. Specifically, there are three key promises or covenants God gave the Jewish people. There\u2019s the promise of land<\/strong>, described as the Abrahamic Covenant (Gen. 13:14-17, Psalm 105:8-11), the promise of salvation<\/strong>, called the New Covenant (Jer. 31:33-34, Psalm 98:2-3), and the promise of a King<\/strong>, which is the Davidic Covenant (2 Sam. 7:12-13, Zech. 14:9).

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Literally hundreds of verses in the Old Testament further confirm and describe these promises. As you read your Bible, be looking for them, for they will give you confidence that God will do just what He promised. Sadly, many in today\u2019s churches believe God has cancelled and nullified these promises to the Jews because of their sin and unbelief, but this is just not true. God is faithful, and will be forever true to His word. Psalm 89, Matthew 24:35

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As I said, many verses speak of these promises, but my favorites are Ezekiel 37:21-23, for here you see all three of them in one single passage. There\u2019s the land<\/strong> promise – \u201cI will gather them from every side and bring them into their own land, and I will make them one nation in the land\u201d<\/em> (vss 21-22); there\u2019s the promise of the King<\/strong>, which we know is Jesus Christ \u2013 \u201cThere will be one King over all of them\u201d<\/em> (vs 22); and there\u2019s the promise of salvation<\/strong> \u2013 \u201cI will save them from all their sinful backsliding, and I will cleanse them. They will be My people, and I will be their God\u201d<\/em> (vs 23). Do you see the word \u201cwill?\u201d <\/em>It\u2019s God\u2019s guarantee to His people that He will carry out His promises, that they will definitely come to pass.

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But how does this relate to you? First, there\u2019s salvation<\/strong>, and of course as a Christian, you have been saved. \u201cHe saved us, not because of righteous things we have done, but because of His mercy\u201d<\/em> (Titus 3:5). Second, there\u2019s the land. <\/strong>\u201cBlessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth\u201d<\/em> (Matt. 5:3). This is from Psalm 37:11, which says, \u201cThe meek will inherit the land,\u201d<\/em> which is true for the Jews, but now is true for you as well. Third, there\u2019s the King<\/strong>, and in Rev. 19:16, we read, \u201cOn His robe and on His thigh, He has this name written: \u2018King of kings and Lord of lords.\u2019\u201d<\/em> Jesus Christ will return as the King, and will rule perfectly over this world and, in fact, we will be reigning with Him. Revelation 5:10

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The verses, in my opinion, that best connect the future of the Jewish believer with the future of the Christian, are Rom. 15:8-13. There we read that the promises God gave to the fathers (Old Testament Jews), are in conjunction with His promises to church-age Christians \u2013 \u201cI will give praise to Thee among the Gentiles, and I will sing to Thy name\u2026 Rejoice, O Gentiles, with His people.\u201d<\/em> In the coming kingdom age, all saved people <\/strong>will be in Jerusalem<\/strong> worshiping the King<\/strong>. Psalm 47:1,6 and Psalm 48:1 also talk about this – \u201cO clap your hands, all peoples<\/strong>, shout to God with the voice of joy\u2026 Sing praises to our King<\/strong>\u2026 Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised, in the city of our God<\/strong>, His holy mountain.\u201d

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Do you see that your hope relates directly to the hope of the Jewish people? Though we don\u2019t know all the details of our future, we do know that all God\u2019s people will be together, worshiping and serving Him. As a Christian, you need this hope, you need to know it\u2019s worth it serve the Lord and suffer for Him, that the future blessing you will receive from God far outweighs any troubles or struggles you will ever experience in this life. \u201cMay 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.\u201d<\/em> Romans 15:13

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P.S. Might you continue to be filled with godly hope, for you need it. Here are two posts that will increase your understanding of this wonderful hope that God wants you to have: “Your Great Hope and Most Glorious Future”<\/a> and “Converging Hopes for Jewish and Gentile Believers.” <\/a><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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