It Ain’t Over

2 Co 4:7-8

(7)But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.

(8)We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; (9) Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; (10) Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body.

We open this message with a most powerful statement concerning the power of God in us

Dan 6:23-24

4:7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.

This verse sounds a note of victory in our spirits.

It has sister verses like:

1John 4:4 Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.

And

Php 4:13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

And

Lu 10:19 Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.

If you have lived very long you know that life is not always fair, bad things happen to good people.

Sometimes Christians have financial problems, Sometimes Christians get sick, Sometimes Christians fight personal battles in their marriage, in their minds, even in their flesh, or their appetites.

In our text Paul says: I have been troubled on every side, and perplexed, persecuted and knocked down), but he also says (not

Distressed, not in despair, not forsaken, not destroyed.

I came to tell somebody today: That It does not matter what the enemy is working against you, or what your struggling with The bible says:

Isa 54:17

No weapon that is formed against you shall be able to prosper.

The bible did not say that satan would not form weapons against you, or that he would not launch them at you, or that they would not touch you.

But what the bible does say is: It shall not prosper, it shall not accomplish it�s intended purpose.

As a matter of fact: The bible teaches us that all things, work together for good to them who love the Lord and are the called according to his purpose. Ro 8:28

It doesn�t matter who you are or how spiritual you are, at some point life is going to deal you a blow (T.D Jakes refers to it as the Pot holes of Life). Unexpected Undesired situations and problems that catch you off guard, and send your life into a spin.

The good news is, that even though we all will at some point encounter these unexpected unplanned for attacks, problems, and circumstances.

We have the promise:

2Co 2:14 Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savor of his knowledge by us in every place.

And Rev 12:11 And they overcame him by the blood of the lamb and the word of their testimony.

I want to talk to somebody today who has been knocked down, life has thrown you an unexpected curve,

Divorce, Sickness, A Financial disaster, Your child is on drugs, Your company down sized and they let you go.

Your church released you, Your dreams of ministry have been crushed.

It can be a thousand different things, But the bottom line is: You didn�t expect it and it hurt, It threw your life into a tail spin.

It knocked the breath out of you.

When I was a child I was jumping on the bed one day, and my grandmother called me from another room, I quickly jumped off the bed because I didn�t want grandma to catch me jumping on the bed.

The only problem was, I didn�t land on my feet I landed on my stomach and it knocked the breath out of me.

For a minute or two I could not breathe, I thought I was going to die.

That was over thirty five years ago and I�m still here it didn�t kill me.

Since that time life has thrown me some unexpected curves and there have been times when it has spiritually knocked the breath out of me, but It didn�t kill me I�m still here.

Paul had a similar experience:

Acts 14;19-20 And there came thither certain Jews from Antioch and Iconium, who persuaded the people, and, having (stoned Paul, drew him out of the city, supposing he had been dead).

20 Howbeit, as the disciples stood round about him, (he rose up), and came into the city: and the next day he departed with Barnabas to Derbe.

They thought Paul was dead: