Finished But Not Over
Dale Carter Sr.
Harvest Fellowship Community Church
December 17, 2018
Joel 2:28-29
And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions:
29 And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit.
Marching across the desert of time and into the eternal ecstasy of rapturous delight and ever-lasting joy. The true Church of Christ comes out of the dark and into the light hidden by the confines of the Nation Israel. Conceived in the fleshly womb of a chosen young Jewish woman, birthed into the world with all humility, laid in a manger. Shined upon by the stars of heaven, sought after by wise men as a Savior. Threaten by those that feared Him. Followed by those that loved him. Crucified by those that hated Him. Buried by those that believed Him.
Until this day, the men that He had chosen to be the generals of the soon coming most powerful army the world had ever encountered was just a frighten band of men without direction or a leader. It now appears that when Jesus spoke, “Upon this Rock I will build My Church” drifted into the past and the plan would be forgotten and was defeated. But the thought of defeat had never entered His mind and certainly wasn’t in His vocabulary.
Defeat was not in the vocabulary of General Gorge Washington as he led the shabby remains of America’s first army at Valley Forge during the hardest winter of the Revolutionary War to a victory that was never thought possible by the enemy. When everything around him scream and echoed, “Defeat, Defeat” General Washington never thought of defeat and his victory of Valley Forge conferred America would become the greatest nation the world has ever known.
While the Church (Jesus) was being mocked, slapped, spit upon, laugh at and the hair on His face pulled out, the thought of defeat was never an option. Tied to a whipping post like a wild animal, beaten with a Cat-of Nine-Tails, His blood spewing from His body splattering across the courtyard as the screams of the crowd, echoed across the country side from mountain top to mountain top, valley though valleys. “Give us Barabbas” “Crucify Him, Crucify Him”
Little did they know that this was the beginning of the labor pains that would soon birth the Church of the Living God. Bleeding, His body ripped and torn, anguished with pain no human on earth could withstand. Stooped and stumbling from the weight of His own cross. Each step bringing Him closer to the finish. In man’s mind and Satan’s they thought His life, purpose and ministry would be finished for they heard Him say, “It is finished” but they couldn’t hear the emphatic thunderous roaring voice of His heart echoing off the walls Heaven and of Hell, “IT’S NOT OVER” They didn’t know that death couldn’t kill Him, the grave couldn’t hold Him and in the mist of everything pointing to death and the voices of Hell screaming, Defeated, Defeated, the most powerful organism ever to touch the planet earth would be birthed and He called it, “MY CHURCH”
They hung Him high and stretched Him wide they bled Him clean and pierced side His hands and feet and with His last breathe He said “It is Finished” but His heart said, “It’s Not Over.” The veil that had stood between God and His creation was rent from top to bottom. Man could now enter into the presence of the Holy’s of Holy’s, into the presence of God Almighty. He left the presence of man but He had already told them, in three days I’ll return. And for three days fear griped the minds of every demon in Hell. Those that sought Him where they had left Him could not find Him. He proved to the world, Satan and all his imps, that death could not kill Him the grave could not hold Him. Resurrected and empowered by God the Father, He stepped out of darkness into the world that He created and loved and declared, “I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore,”…….. All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth…. And have the keys of Hell and Death.
As the world looks upon me, hear and know My voice, “I AM THE BREAD OF LIFE.” He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty. (John 6:35)
I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. (Rev 21:6)
“I AM THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD” he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. “I AM THE RESURRECTION AND LIFE” he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die.
I declare to you that “I AM” the King of kings and the Lord of lords. “I AM” the alfa and the omega, the first and the last the beginning and the end. “I AM” the Great Shepherd, that will feed you from the table in the presence of thine enemy, I will supply all your needs…”I AM” the guide that leadeth you besides the still waters…”I AM” the rest in green pastures…”I AM” the restorer of your soul I AM” the ROCK that gives you drink in dry places. And “I AM” the ROCK that I will build “MY CHURCH” upon and the Gates of Hell shall not prevail against it. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen. (Matt 28:18-20).
Let your imaginations join with mine as silence falls over Hell. I can hear voices quietly whisper as conversations begin to spread across the satanic kingdom. Death, you stung Him and killed Him. We all heard Him say, “It is Finished” we all rejoiced and shouted as we all watched as they put Him in a tomb and even sealed it. They put guards around it so no one could steal His body. And death responds, “I don’t know what happen, my sting has always be sufficient but then there was that man named Lazarus but I’ll get another shot at Him. Grave how did you lose your grip and let Him escape? Grave responded, I thought I had Him for sure but He only was passing through. We all thought it was finished, we didn’t know it wasn’t over. We must have a board meeting and device a plan to counter-act and stop what He is about to do. We must stop Him from building that “My Church” or He will destroy all the works we have done and destroy even king Satan himself.
Satan suggests, let’s make people doubt His Word. It worked with His first son and his wife. But wait a minute. I remember when I took Him high upon a mountain and tried to make Him doubt who He was. I told Him, “If you are the Son of the Living God and I tempted Him with power, riches and glory and each time He looked me square in the eye and said, “Satan it is written”. So the first thing we’ll do is to make them believe that Bible Study and Sunday School and learning His Word is not important, then we can change “What is Written” and they’ll believe and accept whatever makes them feel good. Soon they’ll compromise and as we make things bad, they’ll seek help in the things that we offer them. We will convince them that God is not a god of love and He won’t send anyone to help them. But there will be those that know better because their daddy and mother took them to that “My Church” and taught them His true Word. So for them and all the world, more than anything else we must make them think they have plenty of time.
I am finished with the message this morning, but “It’s Not Over”
