It’s Not Over
It’s Not Over
Romans 8:28
Pastor Barry Kerner
We all love a good comeback story. A story about those who have been beaten down, overwhelmed, and who have come out of nowhere, out of obscurity and hopeless conditions to beat the odds.
I think the king of the comeback has to be Abraham Lincoln. Born into poverty, Lincoln was faced with defeat throughout his life. He lost eight elections, twice failed in business and suffered a nervous breakdown. Lincoln experienced setback after setback. He could have quit many times – but he didn’t and because he didn’t quit, he became one of the greatest presidents in the history of our country.
There’s a phrase, “It’s not over till it’s over!”
It’s said that American baseball legend Yogi Berra first uttered the phrase about baseball’s 1973 National League pennant race. His team was a long way behind when he said it and they did eventually rally to win the division title. It’s not the only offbeat quote from the sportsman – there’s also the existential “It’s like deja-vu all over again” or the wry “Always go to other people’s funerals, otherwise they won’t go to yours” – but there is something about the never-say-die, no-matter-the-odds-we-can-do-this spirit of “It ain’t over…” that finds a place to inspire, time and time again.
It tells people to wait, don’t make a judgment yet, because the struggle still might be turned around.
We’ve all experienced setbacks. An unexpected change from better to worse, a disappointment, a reversal. Lincoln endured setbacks on the way to winning the presidency, Yogi Berra’s Mets experienced setbacks on their way to winning the pennant.
You may be struggling with a setback right now. You may think it’s over but I’ll tell you, “It Ain’t.” Hebrews 12:2 reminds us to, “fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith.” God began a good work in you and God will see it through to the end. You see, we serve a Finisher
That’s the Good News message of Easter – We serve a finisher and It’s not finished till it’s finished. It’s not over till it’s over!
One of the greatest strategies of the enemy is to convince you to give up on your faith. If he can’t succeed at that, then his objective is to persuade you to settle for less than what God has planned for you. Don’t give up when victory is just around the corner!
Jesus Christ died and rose again in victory over sin, and death and grave, so that we can have victory.
The victory is there. We just have to claim it.
Oh Victory in Jesus!
My Savior forever
He sought me and bought me
With His redeeming blood.
He loved me er’e I knew Him.
And all my love is due Him.
He plunged me to victory
Beneath the cleansing flood!
We have the power of the blood of Jesus
There’s protection thru the blood
There’s healing thru the blood
There’s deliverance thru the blood
There’s cleansing for your conscience thru the blood
There’s access into the presence of God thru the blood
There is overcoming power thru the blood
Revelation 12:11 tells us believers will overcome Satan by the blood of the lamb and the word of their testimony.”
The same word that God used to create the universe.
The same word that Jesus used to cast out demons and to heal the sick, to open blind eyes and unstop deaf ears.
The same word that allowed Jesus, our finisher, to endure the cross and with a dying breath utter, “It is finished!”
And, the same word that ushered in a new beginning when it rolled back the stone, breathed life into Him again and raised Him from the dead.
Psalm 119:89 says, “Thy word is eternal, forever O Lord thy word is settled in heaven.
There is healing power in the word
There is delivering power in the word
Psalms 107:20 tells us, “He sent his word and healed them and delivered them from all their destruction’s.”
There is power in the blood of the lamb.
And, there’s power in the word of God.
And as sons and daughters of God, Co-heirs with Christ, we’ve inherited them both.
There is nothing too hard for the God we serve.
He can turn a red sea into a super highway.
He can cause water to flow out of a rock like a river.
He can open blind eyes, unstop deaf ears, and make the lame to walk. He can raise the dead, walk on water, calm the storm, and feed the multitude. Why? Because when God’s in it, It Ain’t Over Till It’s Over!
He can save the drug addict, deliver them and set them free, and fill them with the Holy Ghost.
He can heal broken hearts, restore marriages and put families back together again, Save Souls from Hell. And you know why! Because when God’s in it, It Ain’t Over Till It’s Over!
Jesus came to prophesy life, Jesus came to prophesy restoration and healing. Jesus came to prophesy new beginnings.
Today, Easter Sunday, is the day we celebrate new beginnings, of restoration, and of resurrection.
Let me tell you, “When God’s in it, It Ain’t Over Till It’s Over.”
That, I believe, is the message of Easter. That’s why today is such a glorious day. We celebrate a new beginning. God can bring life out of death, victory out of defeat, resurrection out of crucifixion. So, don’t close the books on a life too soon. Don’t throw in the towel prematurely. Don’t walk away from a problem before you ought to. If God is in it, it’s not over until it’s over.
From his birth Jesus was on a collision course with death. When the announcement of his birth came to Herod, the king, he ordered all male babies two years of age and under put to death to make sure he killed the newborn king.
From the outset of his earthly ministry Jesus was confronted with opposition, rejection, and scorn. The leaders of Israel soon determined he must die. There was no other way to silence him. The shadow of the cross seemed always to hang over him. He said to his disciples, “The son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister and give his life a ransom for many.” He announced to them, on more than one occasion, that he must go to Jerusalem where he would be betrayed, crucified, and then raised again. As he neared Jerusalem, in the closing days of his life, he said, “And I, if I be lifted up (speaking of his approaching death on the cross) will draw all men unto me.”
The cross never took him by surprise. It was always before him. Then the day that shall live in infamy came. It was the darkest hour in human history. Jesus, the son of God, was betrayed by Judas, one of his closest friends. He went through the mockery of a trial under the guidance of the most respected religious leader in Israel. He was sentenced to death by the puppet procurator Pontius Pilate. He was nailed to the old rugged cross like a common criminal. And, finally, he was laid to rest in the borrowed tomb of Joseph of Arimathea.
If you had asked his disciples who had followed him for three years and were now huddled in fear in an upper room, “Is it over?” with tears in their eyes and quivering voices they would have replied with one accord, “Yes, it’s over. It’s finished. It’s all over.”
Ask Judas, who betrayed Jesus for thirty pieces of silver, “Judas, is it over?” And he would have answered, “Yes, it’s over. I wish it weren’t. I have betrayed a friend. I wish I could make it right, but I can’t. Yeah, it’s over, all over.”
Ask Caiaphas, the high priest of Israel, “Caiaphas, is it over?” “Yes,” he would have said, “thank God, it’s finally over. At last we’re through with the troublemaker. It had to come to this, you know. I’m glad we’re rid of him. I’m glad it’s over”
Ask Pilate, the vacillating puppet of Rome who sentenced Jesus to death knowing full well he was innocent of any crime, “Pilate, is it all over?” “Yes it is,” Pilate would have responded, “it’s over. That Jesus wasn’t guilty of any crime, but at least this will satisfy the people and we can have peace once again. Yes, it’s over and I wash my hands of it all”
Ask the Roman soldier who presided over the crucifixion, “Captain, is it over?” And he would have answered, “Yes, it’s over. I have presided over hundreds of these executions. It’s a nasty business. And this one was worse than most. We pierced his side to be certain of his death and I’m 100 percent sure it’s over, it’s all over.”
LUKE 24:13-55
There were others that thought it was over even after His resurrection. Jesus appeared to two men walking on the road to Emmaus. They were deep in conversation and didn’t recognize Him. They were talking about what had happened to Jesus of Nazareth over the weekend back in Jerusalem. One of them said, “We had hoped that he was the one to save Israel” (Luke 24:21). Notice their hope was in the past tense. They were no longer looking to Jesus as the savior, the Messiah. They once did, but no longer are. The reason? They are sure it’s over, all over. But, we know it wasn’t.
The disciples took Jesus’ lifeless body down from the cross, buried it in Joseph’s tomb, and rolled the stone securely over the entrance. Early Easter morning some of the women made their way back to the tomb to finish the burial process. And, to their dismay and delight they found it empty. The angel greeted them with the best news of time and eternity, “He is not here. The Lord is risen.” Then they knew firsthand the central truth of Easter: it’s not over until it’s over.
Nothing is over until God gets through with it. He specializes in turning tragedy into triumph, and turning Calvaries into Easter mornings. Because of Easter, there are at least three things we ought never to do.
First, because of the resurrection we should never give up on ourselves.
Have you ever seen someone try to walk with their feet tied together by a short piece of rope or chain? It’s a very effective method of controlling how far, and how fast, someone can move. That’s why prisoners have shackles on their legs. They have no chance of going anywhere with any speed. If they try, they will fall down. Shackles are effective because they restrict movement. You can function, just not very well.
Many people feel shackled by their sins and their circumstances. They feel enslaved and entrapped. They are so deeply in debt; their marriages are so messed up; their children are so rebellious; they are so enslaved to drugs or alcohol that they feel their lives are “too broke to mend.” They feel they can never be free from their bindings. But God says that it a lie. Jesus came to set us free. John 8:36 says, “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” Paul wrote the Galatians 5:1, “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.”
But Satan, the father of lies tells us different. “You’re worthless,” You’ll never amount to anything,” “No one can forgive what you’ve done.” They’re all lies but a lie believed is as powerful as the truth. So many of us live out our days believing lies that steal the fullness of joy promised in Jesus. Many of these untruths are spoken in the tapes that replay within our own heads. For many of us, it is our past failures that haunt our thoughts and speak a lie into our lives. For others of us, it is our present pain that becomes our focus. As the tape in your head plays on and on, nothing less than your very self-identity is at stake. You see, the question at hand is this; Are you a product of your sins, your failures, your pains? Do they define who you are? Or… Are are you something much, much greater?
Many of us live our lives imprisoned by shame and guilt; shame over the the things we have done and the things done to us, guilt over our inability to be who we want to be. If left unchecked, our guilt slowly becomes our identity, and we die slowly and privately, shackled by our shame. But to hide our shame is to embrace a lie. Shame over a behavior is a call to repent. Romans 6:14 tells us that “Sin shall not be master over you”. Hiding our shame is to believe that the grace God promises, while available to others, is not sufficient to redeem our sin.
But no person is beyond redemption. It matters not how deep into sin you may have fallen, how far away from God you may have wandered, how many scars may be on your soul, it’s not too late for you or your loved one. Remember the message of Easter: “it’s not over until it’s over.”
In the New Testament world, who is the person least likely to have been saved? Was it not the apostle Paul? He called himself “a Hebrew of Hebrews.” He was born of the tribe of Benjamin. He was circumcised on the eighth day. He was a strict Pharisee.
He had such a fanatical zeal for Israel and against Christians that he said, “I made havoc of the church of God.” The word “havoc” describes a wild boar rooting indiscriminately in a vineyard, tearing up everything he could get to. That was Paul’s attitude toward the church. While on the road to Damascus to arrest and imprison Christians, he met the living Christ and was converted. After he became a Christian he became the greatest church planter in history. He sought to spread the gospel with the same zeal he had previously sought to destroy it. If the apostle Paul could be saved, anyone can be saved. His life is proof positive that no one has to stay the way he is.
A seminary professor used to remind his students, “Young men, when you preach, never leave Jesus on the cross or the prodigal son in the far country.” God can bring his son down from the cross and he can bring the prodigal back from the far country. The Lord can save from the uttermost to the guttermost. Jesus was crucified between two thieves. In those last dying moments, one mocked him, and one turned to him in repentance. One was lost so that none might presume. The other was saved that none might despair.
Second, because of the resurrection, we should never write off any experience as a total waste.
If God can raise the dead, he can bring good out of the bad that comes to us. You ordinarily don’t expect much philosophy from Monday Night Football, but several years ago Don Meredith said, in one of his commentaries, “If you sail the seas long enough you are eventually going to run into rough waters.” Storms are a part of life. They come to all of us. And, being a Christian does not alter that fact.
The Bible knows of nothing of the new strand of Christianity called, “Health and Wealth” theology. Jesus never taught it. He said, “In this world, you shall have tribulation, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”
The apostle Paul never taught it. He wrote, “Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution” (2 Tim. 3:12).
Peter never taught it. He said, “Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on his behalf” (1 Pet. 4:16).
And James never taught it. He wrote, “My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into different kinds of trials” (James 1:2).
The fact is, in the Bible and throughout history some of God’s best people have endured constant pain and intense suffering.
What the Lord promises his people is not exemption, but redemption.
He does not promise to get us out of trouble, he promises to get us through it.
He does not isolate us from life’s trials, but insulates us in them.
The apostle Paul lays the foundation of our faith and hope in the midst of the storms when he wrote, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose” (Rom. 8:28).
The word “know” means to have absolute and settled knowledge. There are some things we can be sure about. One of them is that God works in and through all things for our ultimate good, that we may be made into the likeness of his son, Jesus Christ. We don’t just think so. We don’t just hope so. We don’t just pray so. We know so.
There are three basic truths that flow from this verse.
The first truth is that God is at work in our lives today.
Some people have a hard time believing this. The deist believes that God created the world and that has no personal involvement with it today. He believes God created the heavens and the earth, wound them up like an eight-day clock, then walked away to leave them to run on their own. He does not believe that God is active in the affairs of men today. But the whole message of the Bible is that God is personally concerned about each one of us and that he has acted and still acts on our behalf.
Some people have trouble believing God is at work in our world today because they cannot see his hand or feel his presence. And what they can’t perceive, they won’t believe.
Like Thomas in the Bible, they tend to think that seeing is believing. Thomas insists, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.” (John 20:25). We are often the same.
First, we need to dispel the myth that seeing is believing. It isn’t and it never has been. The evidence for this is found in the people who did see Jesus. Many people have said to me before, “If I could just see Jesus I would believe in him.” In my braver moments I reply, “No you wouldn’t—if you saw Jesus, you would kill him!” Because that’s what people did. Thousands of people witnessed Jesus perform miracles impossible to man. And yet it was those same crowds that cried out for his crucifixion. Seeing is not believing: just look at those who saw Jesus and did not believe.
So, if seeing is not believing, how can I believe in God?
One of the wonderful things about God is that he never leaves us in the dark. He doesn’t just tell us where to go but also how to get there. And the same is true for faith. Consistently throughout the bible, God teaches us that seeing is not believing: Hearing is believing.
This is what Paul says:
Faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ. (Romans 10:17).
You could not get a more unambiguous verse about how to believe in God. God tells us plainly: Faith comes from hearing!
The second truth found in Romans 8:28 is that God works for good.
Trouble is not the handiwork of God. He is not the author of tragedy and heartache. Whatever God touches, he touches for good. If he comes into your life, it will be better for it. If he touches a marriage or a home, he enriches it. If he is a part of a business, he will improve it.
Whatever God does to us and for us ultimately is for good. Why then is there evil and suffering and death in the world? Where do they come from, if not from God? The simplest explanation for the existence of suffering and death is sin and Satan. We live in a fallen world. When Adam sinned, all of creation came under the curse. As long as we live in a sin-cursed world we will be touched by these things. Moreover, we ourselves are sinners. We are a part of man’s fall.
If God is to blame at all, it is only in that he made us free. He gave us the freedom of choice and that choice did and still does involve consequences.
Third, God works for us.
He not only works for good, he works for our good. The verse says, all things work together for good “to them who love God” and are “the called” according to his purpose. Do you love God? Then he works all things for your good. Have you heard and answered his call to repentance and faith and discipleship? Then he works all things for your good.
You may say, “I can understand how God works in the life of Billy Graham. He is a great evangelist.” Or, “I can understand how God works in the lives of missionaries. They sacrifice their all for him.” “But,” you say, “it’s hard to believe God works in my life for my good in the same way. I’m insignificant. I’m a nobody.” Yet, that is precisely the promise of this verse. Look at it again — carefully. What it does not say is as important as what it does say:
It does not say God causes everything that happens — He doesn’t!
It does not say that everything that happens is good — it isn’t!
It does not say everything is going to work out good for everybody — it won’t!
What the verse says is that God works in and through all things for our ultimate well-being, so that we might be made in the likeness and image of Jesus Christ. Don’t forget the message of Easter, even in the darkest night, “It’s not over until it’s over.” God can take man’s worst and turn it into his best. He turned Calvary into Easter. He can bring resurrection out of crucifixion. He did it once and he can do it again.
The third basic truth comes out of easter is that because of the resurrection we should never despair in the face of death.
Death is a fact of life. The moment we are born we are old enough to die. Life’s ultimate statistic is the same for all people, one out of one dies. We need to recognize and be ready for the ultimate. The scriptures say, “It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment” (Hebrews 9:27). The psalmist prayed, “So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom” (Psalm 90:12).
But, while death is certain, we need not be afraid of it. Because of our Lord’s resurrection we can face it with calm assurance. The scriptures declare that Jesus abolished death rendering it powerless and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel (2 Timothy 1:10).
Jesus has transformed death from a conclusion to an introduction; from an ending to a beginning; from a period to a comma. And because He died, we can experience abundant life now and eternal life then.
We can take the posture of the apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 15:55. He is an old man growing older all the time. He stands before an open grave, looking into the raw red throat of death. Then in one of the most dramatic moments, not only in the New Testament but in all of literature, Paul defies and mocks death by saying, “Ha! Death where is your sting? Ha! Grave, where is your victory?”
Then he adds, “But thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Someone once said, death did something terrible to Christ. But not everyone knows that Christ did something wonderful to death. He didn’t just endure death; He conquered it.
The punch line of the New Testament therefore is not a tragic cry, “Help!” but a triumphant shout, “Hallelujah!”
No matter how final death may look, remember the message of Easter: It’s not over until it’s over.
God raised Jesus from the dead and one day He will raise us up also. Now, because of His resurrection we can live until we die and then we can live forever.
It is the way of God to bring life out of death, victory out of defeat, success out of failure, triumph out of tragedy.
He has a way of turning Good Fridays into Easter mornings.
That’s why we ought not to give up on anybody, we ought not to write off any experience a total waste, and we ought not to despair in the face of death.
Indeed, today we celebrate a glorious day. My Jesus is alive!
Let us pray…