Conditional Promises

Matthew 5:2

English Standard Version

 

2 And he (Jesus) opened his mouth and taught them...

 

Sometimes I'm so task oriented.  Even when reading the Bible and praying.  I'm in a hurry to get through.  

 

Jesus's brother James wrote this.

 

James 1:22

But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.

 

We must slow down when we read the Bible for application as we pray.  If we don't, we are just deceiving ourselves.

 

I don't consider myself a great prayer.  I think God must get bored with some of my prayers.   

 

However, I like conditional promises.  If I can just fulfill the conditions of the promise, I will receive what God has promised.  A conditional promise is a key not my fancy prayers.

 

Matthew 16:19

English Standard Version

 

19 I (Jesus) will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”

 

Conditional promises are like keys. We receive by keeping them, and lose them for not.   

 

Jesus taught....

Matthew 5:2-3

English Standard Version

 

3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

 

This is a conditional promise.  Take the time to read a conditional promise, and lay it beside your life.  Like...  

 

Are you poor in spirit?  You can be. Are you so spiritually destitute that your only hope is to reach out to God for help.  

 

If you do, you can be blessed.

 

The word kingdom comes from the King's dominion.  Jesus, the King, will only come through for you on His terms, or by you surrendering to His dominion and rule.

 

Yield to Him and let Him save you.  We are not saved by fancy prayers, but a conditional promise from Jesus.       

Give me a break!

Matthew 5:1

English Standard Version

5 Seeing the crowds, he (Jesus) went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him.

 

Jesus's to do list was full.  It was crowded.  He had more work than He could do in one day. 

What did He do?   He took a break.  He didn't have time, but He made time.  

He withdrew to a mountain, and took a breather.  His disciples took their cue from Jesus, and joined them. 

The crowds didn't join Him, but those who were patterning their lives after Him did.  

Jesus was such a worker, but when the disciples saw Jesus take a break. They took a break.  They excitedly said the boss is taking a break! 

Jesus must have been a multi-tasker too because He took the opportunity to talk about the kingdom of heaven with His disciples as they relaxed.  

When we have a moment to refresh, lets do it by relaxing and enjoying the things of God.        

Falling or failing in Love?

 We must close the gap between our intentions and actions.

1. When we think something good to say, we should say it.  (Hebrews 3:13)

2. When we think something good to do, we should do it.

3.  When we want something better in our relationships, we must be it.

If you don't like what you're getting in relationships, ask yourself what are I saying and doing?

To get what you once had, you must do what you once did.   

Revelation 2:5

New Living Translation

(Jesus speaking) Look how far you have fallen! Turn back to me and do the works you did at first...

   

Is your money god?

 Matthew 7:24-27

Christian Standard Bible

 

24 “Therefore, everyone who hears these words of mine (Jesus) and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 

25 The rain fell, the rivers rose, and the winds blew and pounded that house. Yet it didn’t collapse, because its foundation was on the rock. 

26 But everyone who hears these words of mine and doesn’t act on them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. 

27 The rain fell, the rivers rose, the winds blew and pounded that house, and it collapsed. It collapsed with a great crash.”

 

1. Jesus promises serious difficulties in this life.

2.  Jesus promises total security and success to those who build on His Word.

3. Jesus promises total failure for those who don't build their life on His Word.  

 

If you have God first before family and money, then He will give you everything your family needs.  

 

1. We must surrender our lives and our families to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.

A.  Is Jesus the Lord of your decisions?

B.  God doesn't bless good ideas.  He blesses His ideas.

C.  If Jesus is our Lord, we don't have the right of self determination.

2. We must trust God as our heavenly Father and then he will meet your needs.

 

1 John 2:15-17

Christian Standard Bible

 

15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 

16 For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride in one’s possessions—is not from the Father, but is from the world. 

17 And the world with its lust is passing away, but the one who does the will of God remains forever.

 

A. If you don't know God as Father, you'll have the wrong relationship with money. 

B. If money replaces God, He will never bless your money because it has become an idol. 

 

3.  We must reflect to determine any generational problems which have come from having money as an idol.

Proverbs 13:22

Christian Standard Bible

A good man leaves an inheritance to his] grandchildren,

but the sinner’s wealth is stored up for the righteous. 

 

Deuteronomy 5:8-10

Christian Standard Bible

8 Do not make an idol for yourself in the shape of anything in the heavens above or on the earth below or in the waters under the earth. 

9 Do not bow in worship to them, and do not serve them, because I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, bringing the consequences of the fathers’ iniquity on the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate me, 

10 but showing faithful love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commands.

 

4.  We must keep our families in a Bible believing and preaching Church and build Bible believing relationships. 

 

Hebrews 10:24-25

Christian Standard Bible

24 And let us consider one another in order to provoke love and good works, 

25 not neglecting to gather together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging each other, and all the more as you see the day approaching.