Christ Is The Better Conduit

Opening:

Story

Faith is part of everyday living.

When you are ill, you go to a doctor whose name you can’t pronounce.

He gives you a prescription you cannot read. You take it to a pharmacist you have never seen.

He gives you medication you do not understand --- and yet, you take it. Now, that is living by Faith!

Intro/Recap

That takes a lot of faith- wheres the reward

Continue - Jesus is the better conduit of our faith

the conduit of the faith before christ: works

Where was the reward, what if you missed it

With christ there is no missing the reward

The Conduit (Vs.1 )

Promise

“Now faith is the substance [promise] of things hoped for.” Consider these Old Testament promises:

Promise of pardon (Gen. 3:15; Isa. 53).

Promise of prayer (Jer. 33:3).

Promise of provision (Exod. 15:26).

Promise of peace (Isa. 26:3).

The Proof

“The evidence of things not seen.”

Faith believes before it sees.

Great men of the Bible had complete faith in God (Heb. 11).

The Commendation (Vs.2)

“Men of God in days of old were famous for their faith” (LB).

Faith during problems

(Heb. 11:8–10). Abraham faced many problems, but He succeeded by faith.

Faith during pain

Fate (Job 1:1–21). Job lost all he had; yet he did not complain.

Firm (Job 13:15). God could slay Job and he still would trust God and not question Him.

Faith (Job 19:25). He knew that God was alive.

Faithful (Job 42:12, 13). In the end he had twice as much wealth.

Faith during prayer

(1 Kings 18:25–41).

Faith during persecution

(Dan. 6:10–28).

The Control (Vs.3-5)

The Creator

(Gen. 1:1).

God created (made from nothing) the world and all we enjoy.

The creation

(John 1:3).

Ex- Nehilo - All was made from nothing.

The control

(Col. 1:16).

God not only created all things

He controls all things as well.

The Contingency (Vs.6-7)

Pleasure

“But without faith it is impossible to please him.” One does not use reasoning, but believes what God says.

Person

“For he that cometh to God must believe that he is.” He is God: (a) all-powerful, (b) knows all things, (c) He is in all places at the same time.

Promise

“And that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him” (see Jer. 29:16).