IT AIN’T OVER…UNTIL GOD SAYS…IT’S OVER
Rom. 8:28
INTRODUCTION
A. HUMOR: “When Everything Goes Wrong”
1. A woman used her GPS mapping program to get to her accountant’s rural house and ended up far out in the country, lost & in the wrong spot.
2. She finally drove back to the highway on a dirt road, only to find herself in between an oversized truck and his escort car. The truck driver wasn’t pleased and passed her, and accidentally ran her off the road.
3. Annoyed, she pulled back on the road, only to find that she was now in between the oversized truck and his backend escort. Not wanting to be a part of this convoy any longer, she decided to pass all of them, hitting 85 mph.
4. That’s when she saw the lights of the police car & he pulled her over. At this point, she laughed. But the highway patrolman wasn’t laughing as he told her to hand over her driver’s license. She rummaged through her purse only to find that her wallet was missing.
5. With a smile, she informed the patrolmen that she didn’t have her driver’s license and told him her story. Luckily, he saw the humor of it and decided she’d had ‘one of those days.’ She eventually got off with a warning!
B. PURPOSE OF THIS MESSAGE
1. Just because things don’t work out exactly like we planned, doesn’t mean that God’s not at work in our lives. As William Cowper said, “God moves in a mysterious way, His wonders to perform; He plants his footsteps in the sea, and rides upon the storm.” Sometimes our impossibilities are God’s ways of making Himself visible to us. I’m excited to serve the Living God!
2. God is so good! He’s faithful, He’s merciful, He’s just, He’s a loving God, He’s kind, He’s a provider, He’s a way-maker, He’s a deliverer & He’s a healer!
3. I’M HERE TO IGNITE YOUR FIRE, TO IGNITE YOUR FAITH, YOUR HOPE, & YOUR TRUST IN GOD. I’M HERE TO TELL YOU THAT GOD HAS A PLAN FOR YOU.
C. ARE YOU EXPER. A HOPELESS SITUATION?
1. I’m here to tell somebody: “Don’t throw in the towel just yet.” Though it may appear that all hope is gone & that everyone else is finishing the race without you, It NOT Over!! Don’t give up just yet.
2. God has blessings for you that, if you don’t quit, you’ll see His promises come to pass in your life. “Don’t be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not” Gal. 6:9.
3. Maybe your situation seems hopeless because of what your DOCTOR has said or because of your CIRCUMSTANCES. Hopeless situations don’t mean that God’s left you; on the contrary, God is at work in your life. Tell somebody- “God’s at work.”
D. TITLE & THESIS
The title of this message is, “IT AIN’T OVER…UNTIL GOD SAYS…IT’S OVER.”
I. PREMATURE SURRENDER
A. EXAMPLES OF HOPELESS SITUATIONS
1. JAIRUS thought it was over - his daughter was pronounced dead - but GOD hadn’t said it was over.
2. The LAME MAN at the pool of Bethesda thought it was over – (for 28 yrs.) he couldn’t get into the water; but it was NOT over with God!
3. Everyone thought it was over for DANIEL when he was thrown into the lion’s den, except God.
4. Nebuchadnezzar thought it was over for the THREE HEBREWS he threw into the fire, but how many of you know – IT WASN’T OVER!
5. JOB’s wife thought it was over and told him to curse God and die, but God wasn’t finished with him yet.
6. Ezekiel thought that ISRAEL – defeated & taken captive – looked like it was history; it was nothing but a Valley of Dry Bones. But God said “Prophesy Ezekiel!” – and Ezekiel watched as the bones scooted around & came together, and the nation rose again! IT AIN’T OVER UNTIL GOD SAYS IT’S OVER!
B. WHO SAID IT’S OVER?
1. Many times Satan has told God’s people “I’ve beat you” or “You’re a failure.” “You’ll never amount to anything.” In the Bible, the Enemy told:
2. Nehemiah, “You’ll never rebuild those ruins.” “Your strength is giving out – you’ll never finish what you’ve started” (4:10). “You’ll never see the attack coming and it will finish you off” (4:11). But God had different ideas.
3. The devil tells us, “America is over! Its best days are behind it. There’s NO WAY Revival can come!” But God can bring revival where no revival looks possible. The devil may say, “Your health is over;” “Your marriage is over;” “Your career is over!” But he’s a liar & the father of it!
4. “Did GOD say “It’s over?” If Satan says it, it’s probably a lie, because satan’s always lying. If God says something, that settles it. Our God is the God of miracles; all things are possible with Him!
II. 3 REASONS WHY IT’S “NOT OVER,” BECAUSE...
A. GOD IS THE MOST POWERFUL BEING IN THE UNIVERSE
1. He’s the biggest and baddest. If we’re looking for who’s going to have the last say, in whatever, it’s going to be God, because He’s the most powerful Person.
2. If God decides to change the outcome, then NO ONE’S BIG ENOUGH TO STOP HIM! Another reason is because...
B. GOD IS THE ONLY BEING OUTSIDE OF TIME
1. God says, “Thus says the high & lofty One, who inhabits eternity...” He declares that He’s the first and will be the last.
2. “Before time began” (1 Cor. 2:7) God was already working [everybody say, “working”] and after the last day’s over, God will still be working.
3. So if anyone’s going to decide how things are going to turn out in the end, it’s going to be God, because He’s gonna be the last One standing. A third reason God will have the final say is because...
C. GOD HAS ALWAYS OVERTURNED THE EXPECTATIONS OF HUMANS...
1. Especially if they contradict His fundamental rules. God’s not arbitrarily nor capricious; He’s a God of justice. He’s clearly stated His methodology; He always favors the humble, the downtrodden, and those who have faith in Him.
2. God’s blessings aren’t automatic – they’re for those who have FAITH in God. Heb. 11:6 tells us, “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He is the rewarder those who earnestly seek him.”
3. FOR BELIEVERS – He forgives our sins, adopts us into His family, and gives us eternal life. He’s our Creator, healer, Savior, Redeemer & Friend. Relationship with Jesus is the key to all God’s promises (Rom. 3:22).
4. God says to those who refuse to trust in Jesus, “What right have you to recite my laws or take my covenant on your lips?” Psalm 50:16. We’re either on God’s side or we’re not; there’s no middle ground.
5. All unbelievers will have their expectations overturned. They may be POWERFUL POLITICIANS who can move the levers of power, or MOVIE STARS who are adored by millions, or they may be BILLIONAIRES and own vast fortunes and property – but without Jesus they will lose it all, and their souls as well. Their plans/schemes will not prevail.
6. The Book of Revelation tells us that on the DAY OF THE LORD...
a. No one is found worthy to open the Book, except Jesus.
b. None can lead heaven’s armies, except Jesus.
c. At the final Battle of Armageddon, Jesus, as the victorious warrior, will defeat all His foes. You don’t want to be on the wrong side of history. The end is already written; are you on the right side?
d. The world will aim all of its nuclear weapons at Jesus, but they won’t be able to touch Him! He’s invincible! He will tread them all under His feet and consign them to everlasting destruction, to be shut out from the presence of the Lord forever!
III. DON’T LET YOUR SITUATION INFLUENCE YOUR EXPECTATION
A. THE MORE DIFFICULT WAY IS OFTEN THE BEST
1. “When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them on the road through the Philistine country, though that was shorter. For God said, ‘If they face war, they might change their minds and return to Egypt.’” Ex. 17:13. They had been slaves, didn’t really know God yet, and weren’t trained in war. All that was reversed during their 40 years sojourn in the wilderness. The more difficult way was better to help them get to the Promised Land.
2. Joseph could never have ruled on the throne of Egypt except he first had to pass through slavery, betrayal, and imprisonment. Each step downward actually brought him closer to the throne of Egypt. Joseph’s faith in God eventually promoted him to be Prime Minister of Egypt.
3. JOKE. A woman came to her doctor in a panic. "Doctor, all day long my daughter eats yeast and car wax, and won't get out of bed! What will happen to her?" "Don't worry," said the Doctor, "eventually she will rise and shine!”
4. POEM: “My life is but a weaving between my Lord and me. I cannot choose the colors He works with steadily. Oft times he weaves in sorrow and I in foolish pride, forget He sees the upper and I the underside. Not till the loom is silent and the shuttle ceases to fly shall God unroll the canvas and explain the reason why.”
B. GOD OVERCOMES IMPOSSIBLE SITUATIONS
1. Lazarus was dead 4 days. Jesus came to visit his sisters. Jesus said, “Take away the stone from the tomb.” The sisters said, in essence, “Lord, it’s too late, his body is decomposed. There’s no way he can come back!” But Jesus said, “Lazarus! Come forth!” You see, Jesus knew it’s NOT over, until GOD says it’s over!
2. The swineherds watched as the Madman of Gadara approached the boat of Jesus, which had just pulled up on the shore. They knew that he was demon-possessed, that he “lived in the tombs, and no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain...No one was strong enough to subdue him” Mark 5:3-4. The swineherds probably said, “There’s no way that man can be helped!” But they didn’t know WHO was in that boat! “It ain’t over till GOD says it’s over!”
3. Antony Flew (1923–2010) was a professor of philosophy who taught at Oxford, & four other universities. He was an ardent atheist who established some of the strongest arguments of atheism and he regularly debated theists. Eighty years of denying God; hopeless right? NO! In 2004, at 81 years, he debated Gary Habermas, who advanced such strong arguments, that Flew was forced to reconsider his views. In 2007 Flew published a book telling his new position, “There IS a God: How the World's Most Notorious Atheist Changed His Mind.” [Wikipedia]
4. DON’T GIVE UP – EVEN ON HARDENED ATHEISTS! IT AIN’T OVER…UNTIL GOD SAYS…IT’S OVER!
CONCLUSION
A. ILLUSTRATION: Three Feet From Gold
1. One of the most common causes of failure is quitting when overtaken by temporary defeat. An example of this is the story of R.U. Darby.
2. He was caught up by gold-rush fever and staked a claim in Colorado’s gold country and went to work with pick and shovel.
3. After weeks of labor, he was rewarded by the discovery of the shining ore. He needed machinery to dig efficiently so he borrowed money from all his relatives and former neighbors. He hired men and set up a train to move the ore.
4. The first car of ore was mined, and shipped to a smelter; it yielded some of the purest gold found in Colorado! They drilled & excavated and the gold came out. How excited the Darbys were. They followed the vein for a mile.
5. Then something happened! The vein of gold ore disappeared! Their pot of gold had run out! They drilled, but to no avail. Finally, they decided to QUIT.
6. They sold the machinery and the claim to a junk man for a few hundred dollars, and took the train back to Maryland. The junk man hired a mining engineer who, following the fault, said he believed the vein would pick-up again a few feet further.
7. And gold was hit just 3 feet from where the Darbys had stopped drilling! The “Junk” man made millions of dollars from that mine, because he kept going another three feet. [Napoleon Hill]
B. APPLICATION
1. It ain’t Over- until- God says it’s over because...
A marriage can come back together-
A family can come back together-
A church can come back together-
A business can come back together-
A dream can come back together-
Hope can come back together- (Why?) Cause it ain’t over….until God says it’s over.
2. Keep fighting...praying...fasting cause it ain’t over. Keep pressing…progressing...moving cause it ain’t over. Keep holding on, keep believing, and keep contending ...until the victory is won!”
C. THE CALL
1. How many have a situation you need help with? How many need a healing? How many need a miracle? Let’s go to God in prayer right now!
2. PRAYER
[This is a rewrite of Victoria Oladipupo’s message of the same title]
