Sermon Title: Nothing
I am the vine, you are the branches. If a man remain in me & I in him, he will bear much fruit, apart from me you can do NOTHING. John 15: 5
Today my sermon title is call “Nothing”!!
I’m not going to share nothing, but I’m going to share something powerful regarding this word “NOTHING”
Nothing, sounds a bit negative huh, the power of nothing can destroy our lives. Earlier we read the bible says, without God, we have nothing, apart from God we can do nothing!! But to God nothing is impossible!!
Let me give you 5 things that God can’t do:
1. God can’t be ignorance (we can be ignorance)
Because His name is omniscient, God knows all things!! Nothing can hide from God, He knows all things!!
2. God can’t be absent (we can be absent)
His name is omnipresent, He can’t contradict himself, He is everywhere!!
3. God can’t be powerless (we are powerless)
He is omnipotent, His power is not limited.
4. God can’t be sin (we can sin)
He is a holy God, he can’t sin, it’s impossible for God to sin.
5. God can’t do nothing!!
We always do nothing about everything, but God can’t do nothing!! God made some thing out from nothing!! He can’t do nothing!!
So, let me give you a maths question.
Nothing + nothing = ?
Nothing – nothing = ?
Nothing x nothing = ?
Nothing ÷ nothing = ?
NOTHING!!!
But how many knows that nothing to God is an opportunity to create something out of that nothing!!!! Amen!!! God doesn’t rule by human logic, to man nothing plus nothing equals to nothing, but our God is a God who creates something out from nothing!!! Amen!!!
Lk 23 :4 (nothing wrong with this man)
-Out of that nothing, comes our salvation, our life, our relationship with Jesus!! When we hand our lives to Him, He change out nothing into something!!
When we give our lives to Jesus, nothing becomes everything, that’s why the bible in Phil 4: 13 mention..
Rom 8: 37
It’s only in Christ we have all things!! But many times the enemy tries to use “nothing” to destroy us.
We always think of I have “nothing” to give, I can do “nothing”, all these nothing has drawn us back from what God has given us by His death on the cross. To God nothing is impossible!! Amen!!
Very quickly I want to share with you 3 things that hold you nothing:
1. Fear will hold you into nothing
Let me share with you a few examples in the bible
i) Matt 25: 14-30 (the one talent guy)
V24-25 this guy do nothing with his one talent given by his master.
V25 His fear hold him into nothing. When fear comes, we don’t have the faith to act it out!!
V25- let’s notice V25
“I was afraid I would lose your $)
-He has fear, that’s why he rather chooses not to do anything.
Friends, fear will stop us from doing many things.
Fear will stop you from doing your best too!!
Your focus will be in the result and not the process. Your focus will be on the problem and not on the task.
ii) 10 spies (Num 13: 31-33)
The 10 spies were afraid to move to the land that God has promise them. Here we see fear not only stop you from moving forward, but it also cause you to move backwards!!!
iii) The young man (Matt 19: 16-22)
Here we see this young man, he has the heart to follow Jesus, but he is afraid of letting go of his comfort & his possession, and he end up looks like having back everything, but actually he end up having nothing!!
All these story reflect the way we react to fear in our lives. How many times, we know that we can do it, but because of fear, we rather choose not to do it. How many times because of us not willing to step out from our comfort zone, because of fear, not willing to change, because of fear, and we end up having nothing!!
Tell you neighbor: fear doesn’t move you forward, but backward!!
2. The expectation of nothing will hold you nothing!!
Just like the one talent guy, he expect nothing out from the one talent that his master has given to him. That’s why he could think of that way “hide it underground”
As I am preparing this sermon, I realize many period in my life, as I look back, the time that I stop growing is the time when I stop expecting great things from God!!
Your expectancy will increase your faith, every time when you expect something it’s like you long for that to happen in your life. This is not hope, this is more than hope. Hope is like I hope it will rain, but weather it rain or not it’s oklah. Expectation is more than that!!
Many times when I lead prayer meeting before service, I felt that the atmosphere of expectation is not strong enough. Many people bring hope, “I HOPE god will touch me” whether He comes or not is not up to me. No remember a guy in the bible his name call Jacob? He didn’t just hope that God will bless him, but he expect God must bless him before he goes.
The result is? He wins!! Even tough he walk out with a limp for the rest of his life but his name was change from Jacob to Israel, his destiny was change totally.
Is there any situation in your life you need more than just hope but expect God to come and do a new work in your life? We must get rid of the attitude of expect nothing to expect something!!
The attitude of Jacob. That we expect and long for a touch from heaven. One touch from heaven change a murderer name Saul into a great apostle call Paul, a fearful Moses into a great leader, a broken hearted man name Peter into a very important man in the 1st century of church history!!
Let’s see what Paul says about expectation
Phil 1 :20
3. If you contribute nothing, it will hold you bound to nothing.
Just like the one talent guy, he contribute nothing to the one talent, he end up having nothing. This is the principle of the word (Gal 6: 7)
You reap what you sow, if you sow durian, you will reap durian, mango, …
Bible says if you sow hard work, you will reap harvest. Any thing that you sow you will reap, but if you sow nothing, you will reap nothing.
For example if you see a problem in your life, but you do nothing to solve it, the problem will never solve it.
For another example, this area of your character needs t be change, to be sharpen, so that you can be a better person. But you never do anything to change that, never do anything to improve that, nothing will happen.
You need to do something if you want to see change.
All relationship in the world works the same. Including your relationship with God. If you know that it needs to improve but you do nothing about it, waiting for another party to do it, it will never happen. If you contribute nothing, it will hold you bound to nothing.
Today I’ve share enough of NOTHING, all these nothing has may times stop us from doing something which is right. Let’s break this “nothing” mindset, I have nothing I can do nothing, I expect nothing, so that we can do something for God.
If you notice every miracles in the bible they doesn’t come with nothing. They come with something.
He created this world out of nothing. Besides that, every miracles come with something, 5 loaves & 2 fishes to feed 5000 people, water turn into wine, a little bit of oil that saves the widow & he son.
Today instead of telling God I have nothing, I can do nothing, would you willing to tell God I am willing to give you something, and ask Him to take this something 7 perform a miracle in your life!!
