It ain't over till it's over!

Thing of some famous, inspirational quotes. Write them down.

Yogi Berra – Not Yogi Bear, the cartoon, but Yogi Berra, the Hall of Fame Catcher for the N.Y. Yankees, once said, "It ain't over till it's over"

Ladies and Gentlemen, It ain’t over till it’s over! That is what we are going to talk about today. So many times things will happen when we get down on ourselves, down on life or down on others. Things not going right in life can lead to some pretty severe depression, anger or even death. Why do you think the suicide rate is so high amongst teenagers?

You may get cut from the baseball team, or get the last seat in the orchestra, you may get dumped by your boyfriend/girlfriend or your parents might split up. There are so many things that could lead us to say, “What’s the point”.

But, boys and girls, “It ain’t over till it’s over” Hey, you may flunk the final, but… It ain’t over till it’s over! You might get dumped, but… It ain’t over till it’s over! Your best friend might turn on you, but… It ain’t over till it’s over!

It ain’t over till it’s over! Why? Because, God is there, waiting for us to turn to Him. We’ve got to persevere and put our trust in God. Then, we will be able to experience the true fulfillment in life.

In the Bible, it talks about this. Let’s see what it says.

Scripture

Read Hebrews 10:22-25; 32-39

1. There are 4 “Let us” statements. What are they?
· Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart
· Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess
· Let us consider how we may spur one another on towards love and good deeds
· Let us not give up meeting together

2. How do these “let us” statements help us to persevere and not give up?

By drawing us near to God, not wavering in our faith, being in community with others and encouraging others in love and good deeds, we know that we have better and lasting possessions. That despite all that will happen to us, we don’t care, because we know that what we have in God, could not be taken away from us! It was better than anything taken away and lasted so much longer.

What you can have in God is better than anything that was taken away and can last eternally. So, no matter what happens, It ain’t over till it’s over! In God, it is never over till it’s over. Remember what Christ did for us? Romans 6:23 – we earned death, but because Christ had a say in it, life wasn’t over. He came and sacrificed his life for us.

3. What will happen if you persevered and do the will of God (v.36)? You will receive what he has promised

God is faithful and will always fulfill on his promises. Numbers 23:19. God is not like us. He doesn’t lie, doesn’t change his mind. Every time he speaks, he acts. Every time he promises, he fulfills. The promise he has for us are countless. Where do you find them? In the Bible.

Application

When tough times come, what do you do? Where do you turn?

When tough times come, know that It ain’t over till it’s over! It’s never over because God is involved. Think about it, if he didn’t even spare his own son for us, how can anyone say that God won’t stop at anything to help us?

The questions that remains now is do you want what He is offering?

So, I want to challenge you to do 2 things this week:
1. What 1 “let us” statement do you need to work on this week?
2. How can you persevere in Christ this week?

It ain’t over because God has a hand in it and can make a lasting difference in your life.