I was speaking with someone several weeks ago and I was sharing with them the burden and the direction that the Lord has led Renee’ and I in.
I told them that we were taking this leap of faith.
That we’re going to Hattiesburg and we’re gonna plant a church, under the direction of the Holy Spirit and that we’re starting with absolutely nothing, except God’s Word leading us to Go!
I looked up that word, Nothing, in the dictionary and it’s defined as “Something that does not exist” or “Someone or Something of no value”.
In other words, it’s not anything, it has no substance, it’s worthless.
It’s Nothing!
My friend, there is a church being birthed right here today from Nothing!
But God has ordained it to be so and therefore it will be so.
You see Grace, the unmerited favor of God, has covered my wife and I and Grace is what this church is about.
Our arms of love are opened up to any and everyone.
We want you to know that Jesus loves you and we do to.
This is to be a place of restoration and healing.
It’s to be a place where Grace abounds and a place of new beginnings.
We welcome you and this church is starting today from literally Nothing, but I’m here today to proclaim to you that there is Awesome Potential in Nothing!
God is going to make an impact through Abundant Grace of Hattiesburg.
We don’t have any hidden agendas or any selfish motives.
There’s no big I’s and little you’s.
We simply want to share the good news of Jesus Christ, regardless of your past, your financial status, your family, your race, your failures or anything else.
Everyone will be welcomed and loved here.
For such is the Kingdom of Heaven.
God laid this thought, The Awesome Potential Of Nothing, on my mind a while ago and I had no idea that I would use it today for this very special first service, but it has been churning in my spirit.
We look around us today, in this vast world that we live in and we see all of the results of man’s creation.
We see the things that the industrial revolution and the technological revolution, along with the explosion of man’s knowledge have birthed into our world.
And I thank God for our modern conveniences.
After Hurricane Katrina, I don’t ever want to take them for granted again.
But I’d like for us to remove all of the man-made creation and all of our material possessions from our view and look at the beauty of God’s handiwork for just a moment.
We see the beautiful blue sky, with a gorgeous sun placed in it, shining it’s light down upon us.
We see the mountains, the rivers, the streams, the trees, the valleys and meadows.
We see the oceans and deserts, the Moon, the twinkling stars, the rain, the lightning and even the rainbow.
We hear the sound of the birds singing, we see the wonder and the beauty of the wildlife and look upon ALL of this creation in amazement.
We see the humanity, whom God created to worship Him.
I want you to look next to you, at the person sitting there and really think about, God literally made this individual.
The human body is so very complex, yet God made every facet of it.
How many of you know today, that the Bible is the infallible, indestructible and inspired Word of God?
The Bible tells us in the book of Genesis {and I’m reading from the Amplified Version}
Genesis 1:1 & 2: “In the beginning, God (prepared, formed, fashioned, and) created the heavens and the earth.
The earth was without form and an empty waste, and darkness was upon the face of the very great deep. The Spirit of God was moving (hovering, brooding) over the face of the waters.”
It says that the earth was Without Form.
Those words, Without Form, in the original text are translated from the Hebrew word, to’-hoo, which literally means NOTHING!
So there was Nothing there, except God.
So what Genesis really tells us is this, that God stepped out into Nothing, He stood upon Nothing, He looked at Nothing, and from Nothing made everything!
There is a sky above us, which He created from Nothing and He placed it on Nothing.
The sun, stars and moon, which He created from Nothing, He hung them on nothing.
He formed the earth and every thing upon the earth from Nothing.
From the dust of the earth, which He created from Nothing, He created man in His own image and breathed into humanity the breath of life and caused man to become a living eternal soul.
With ONLY the substance of His WORD, God stepped out into Nothing and made EVERYTHING!
Job said, “He it is, Who spreads out the northern skies over emptiness and hangs the earth upon Nothing!”
With man, we must have substance, we must have materials, we must have something to work with in order to make anything at all.
When WE see Nothing, then we see absolutely no potential whatsoever.
But with God…
Say that with me, With God.
You see, we’ve got to be with Him.
So many times, we want to work it out ourselves.
We want to do it on our own, but when we come to the end of ourselves, we find that we’re down to nothing.
But friend, when we’re down to nothing, God’s up to something!
With God, there is Awesome Potential in Nothing!
Nothing is the substance.
Nothing is the material.
Nothing is all that God needs to make everything!
Through the power of His Word, God literally took Nothing and made everything that has ever been.
Before time, as we know it, and the world as we know it ever began, there was Nothing here!
But when God looked at all of this Nothing, He was looking at the key ingredient that He needed to bring everything into existence.
The book of John says, “In the Beginning {before all time} was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God Himself.
All things were made and came into existence through Him; and without Him was not even one thing made that has come into being.”
Here’s the equation.
God’s Word plus Nothing equals EVERYTHING!
I’ve read the bumper sticker and I’ve heard people say, “God Said it, I believe it, That settles it.”
But this is the way that it really is.
God SAID It and THAT Settles It!
When God says that something is so, it doesn’t matter whether you or I believe it or not.
It WILL, It WILL, It WILL Come To Pass!
God’s Word needs absolutely NOTHING to accomplish what it says!
Luke 1:37 reads, “For with God, NOTHING is ever impossible and NO WORD from God shall be without POWER or impossible of fulfillment!”
You may look at your situation today and it may look hopeless.
You may look at your life today and see absolutely NOTHING there to work with.
Your marriage may be broken to pieces and it may look like there’s absolutely NOTHING left.
If you’re looking at it all today and you see nothing, then you have something to be grateful for.
My friend NOTHING is all that God needs to perform a miracle in your life right now.
With God, there is AWESOME Potential in NOTHING!
When the doctor says there’s Nothing we can do.
Tell it to Jesus.
When your family tells you, you have Nothing to offer anyone.
Offer it to Jesus.
When the devil plants a seed of self-doubt in your mind and a spirit of suicide tells you that you have Nothing left to live for.
Give it to Jesus.
Jesus is saying to everyone today, “If you’re through with your life, then give it to me.”
My friend He’ll radically change you and make a new creature out of you.
All of your Nothings, will become somethings!
The key is putting Jesus into the equation.
Jesus plus Nothing makes Everything!
There is Awesome Potential in Nothing!
Many in this life get their priorities so mixed up.
They’ll spend there all, trying to get more.
They’ll neglect God.
They’ll neglect their spouses.
They’ll neglect their children.
They’ll neglect their health.
They’ll risk everything trying to accumulate more and more possessions.
The Bible tells us to seek first, the Kingdom of God and HIS righteousness, THEN all of these other things will be added unto you.
That’s a promise.
It’s not a promise that God will make you wealthy and that God will become your errand boy, but it is a promise that ALL of your needs will be met according to HIS riches in Glory.
My friend, I can speak from much experience, God will supply all of your needs, when you put Him first and He is faithful.
You’ll not find happiness in the things of this world.
There was a time in my own life, when I sought happiness in everything outside of God.
I searched in money and material possessions.
I searched in alcohol and drugs.
I ran from God for nearly 17 years and searched for peace of mind and happiness, but I never found it.
I finally found myself dying in an ambulance from a major overdose and it was then that I realized that I had NOTHING!
Absolutely NOTHING!
God delivered me when I placed my full trust in Him and I put His Kingdom and His Purpose first.
He completely changed me and when I realized that I was nothing within myself and that I had nothing within myself, God gave me everything!
I found Peace of Mind.
I found True Happiness.
God can take nothing and make something for His Glory!
Oh, my friend, you may feel like you have nothing to offer, but let me tell you that with Jesus there is Awesome Potential in your Nothing!
He is truly the only thing in this world that can lead you to happiness.
1st Timothy 6:7 says, “For we brought Nothing into this world and it is CERTAIN that we can carry Nothing out!”
I’ve heard it said many times, that you never see a U-Haul following a hearse to the cemetery.
You can’t take it with you when you go.
There is only one thing that I have which I’ll be taking with me when I leave this world and that is the Promise of Heaven, because of my faith in the saving Grace provided through the completed work of Jesus Christ on the cross at Calvary.
My friend, we all know that there is so much pain and suffering in the world in which we live.
Everyone is searching for something.
You can hear it in some of the old Rock anthems such as The Rolling Stone’s “I Can’t Get No Satisfaction” and U2’s, “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For”.
Some live long full lives searching.
Others die young and their search is cut short.
They search for something and come up with nothing.
They’ve been beat down and told that they’re no good and that they’re the reason for everyone else’s troubles.
They’ve been beat down and told that they’re no good and that they’re worth Nothing.
I received a heartbreaking story only weeks ago from my mother about a little girl, who I’m close to, whose mother dragged her out of their house by the hair of her head and beat on this child and cursed her and told her that she wasn’t worth anything and would never amount to Nothing!
People are alone and hurting in this world and they have nothing!
There are people right here today under the sound of my voice who are hurting.
You feel like you have nothing left.
You’re drowning in a pool of worry, despair and heartache.
The healing hand of Jesus is reaching out to you today.
You look at your situation and you can see Nothing good in it.
It all looks so bad.
But the Bible says that ALL THINGS work Together for good to them who love the Lord and are called according to His purpose.
My friend, it may look gloomy today.
It may look like there’s NOTHING good in it today,
But let me just remind you that WITH GOD, there’s Awesome Potential in Nothing.
If you’ll give it to Him, He’ll work it out for your good.
My friend, if you find yourself in that situation, I’ve come to tell you that the very thing your heart bleeds for and cries for, you can find it right here today in Jesus.
Maybe today, you’ve just drifted away from Him and grown cold in your relationship to the Lord.
I want you to know that your relationship can be restored with Him today.
