When Nothing Becomes Something

Some cheeses, you can tell apart by the texture, or by their smell, and of course by their taste. But there is at least one piece of cheese that you can distinguish from all the others because of nothing. You don’t have to taste it, or smell it or even touch it. You can simply see it…yes, swiss cheese stands apart from all other cheese contenders.

As far back as 1917, scientists were considering these holes of nothingness in Swiss cheese and concluding that they were formed by carbon dioxide being released through the several week process of combining specific bacteria, allowing just the right amount of fermentation, plus some heating and cooling.[i]

There are holes in the cheese, through the entire block of cheese. In fact, it’s the accumulation of nothing that makes this cheese something. We pay full price for this cheese, even a little more, despite the fact that there are holes…


Because of nothing…we recognize this cheese as being something.

In fact, a piece of swiss cheese often has a lot of nothings in order to make it something.


Our faith is rooted in the Friday reality that Jesus Christ surrendered himself for the sinful condition of the world and all the people therein. On Friday, as he breathed his last, nothing would stop what he would do.

Our faith rests in the silence of Saturday’s tomb, in wonder, in mystery, in despair, in hope, in anticipation, in longing, in perplexity. On Saturday, nothing could be done.

Our faith is held in the powerful awe of Sunday: the victory has been one; Satan’s rule has been crushed; relationship with God has been made available; the Saviour stands alive, risen, victorious!

Because of Sunday, nothing can be undone.

Romans 8:35

“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? 

Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 

As it is written: “For your sake we face death all day long; 

we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” 

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.”


When you find your identity in Christ, when you believe in your heart and confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, then you can know with blessed assurance that God’s got you, that he will never leave you, that he will not abandon you. There is nothing that can make undone, that which Christ has already begun in you, because He will continue to complete it, until He comes or you go to be with him.


When you feel accused remember:

the cross is empty…nothing on the cross

the tomb is empty…nothing in the tomb

Jesus ascended to the heavens…nothing could defeat him

Jesus, intercedes, he speaks to God on your behalf…there is nothing valid in any accusation that can stand.

Therefore, we must continually remind ourselves of God’s view of our lives and the lives of those with whom we interact. We should also make our choices based on the unquestionable, unopposable, unstoppable power of God because nothing can come against him.

What can separate us from the love of Christ?: “Nothing”

Can hardship in any form separate us from the love of Christ? No…nothing

Can any the pull of any other power draw us away from the love of Christ? No…Nothing

In fact, there is nothing that can separate of us from the love of God that is found in Christ Jesus.

*

In the past decade or so, there has been a noticeable disappearance of the holes in swiss cheese. It has prompted a new look by scientists around the world. “They have now determined that the holes in Swiss cheese have historically been made by plant microparticles — generally teensy bits of hay dust — that find their way into the cheese-making process.”

You see it was something that created the holes of nothing, and through the evidence of nothing, we have something.

For over two thousand years, God has been using a growing list of nothing to point to the greatest something…His love for the whole world, and his desire that none should perish.

Out of nothing God created the universe…he does the miraculous with nothing.

In our insecurity, where we feel there nothing good in us,

God brings worth

In our isolation, where we feel like no one can see us,

God brings comfort

In our brokenness, where nothing seems to get better,

God brings reconciliation

In our weakness, where no effort seems to be enough,

God brings strength

In our sin, where we think nothing can overcome,

God brings grace

In our despair, where we think nothing good can happen,

God brings hope

In our fear, where we think nothing can change,

God brings love

In our discouragement, where we think nothing in this world seems right, God is bringing redemption and fulfillment through the power that raised Jesus from the dead.



And that is something!


[i] https://www.foodnetwork.com/fn-dish/news/2015/06/why-swiss-cheese-has-fewer-holes-than-it-used-to



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