HALLOWEEN EPH. 5
By Pastor Derek Whitacre
1 Peter 3:15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and be ready always to give an answer to every man who asketh you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear.
I. AVOID THAT WHICH IS SINFUL, Is Halloween sinful? Some obviously yes, others obviously no, some don’t know at all.
NO VERSE SO WE USE BROAD PRINCIPLES
Pauls list of good: 1 Thes 5:16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
Follows with a list to stay away from:
19 Do not quench the Spirit. 20 Do not despise prophecies. 21 Test all things; hold fast what is good. 22 Abstain from every form of evil.
So we are left with the question is Halloween evil? We all know what it is to abstain from something. But I don’t know that everyone understands what Evil is.
SOME SPECIFIC SINS ARE MENTIONED, STEAL, MURDER
OTHERS ARE MORE GENERAL AND JUST COMMON SENSE.
Halloween: “All Hallows eve”
EASTER AND EGGS, CHRISTMAS AND TREES, EVERY DAY OF THE WEEK. THURSDAY, THOR. WED. WODEN. EVEN SUNDAY GIVES HONOR RA TO THE SUN GOD
THE ROOTS OF A THING, WHERE IT STARTED ISN’T EVERYTHING. BEGGINGS AREN’T EVERYTHING. BUT THEY’RE NOT NOTHING EITHER.
HENERY THE 8TH. STARTED THE ANGLICAN CHURCH. The 1st church to separate from the Roman catholic reign. BUT ALSO EXECUTED HIS WIFE. COULD NEVER BE A CHRISTIAN.
AS FOR YOU. ARE YOU COMMUNING WITH EVIL SPIRITS? HONORING DEATH AND THE DEAD? I think we need to consult scripture on this one. Let’s see what is acceptable to the Lord.
Eph 5:8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light 9 (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), 10 finding out what is acceptable to the Lord. 11 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them. 12 For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret.
Now consider what you are doing, how you celebrate this month. Put that up against this passage and let God’s word tell you which way to go.
Consider NOT ONLY WHAT YOU’RE DOING BUT ALSO WHAT OTHERS SEE THAT YOU ARE DOING. YOUR DECORATIONS, YOUR COSTUMES, YOUR ENTERTAINMENT AND ACTIVITIES.
A DEVIL COSTUME OR A PENTEGRAM OR EVEN ANYTHING GOULISH WOULD BE INAPPROPRIATE.
ANOTHER WAY TO LOOK AT IT IS TO ASK YOURSELF “WHO IS THIS MAKING SMILE?”GOD OR SATAN
It's easy enough to say I'm not worshiping Satan or death. And it's easy enough to convince yourself that it's all in good fun and that Christians in general just need to relax. But honestly if your house is covered in skeletons and witches and spider webs who is smiling on that. When your neighbors and little kids and the world looks at the black cats and coffins and headstones and sees what the Christians are doing who is smiling?
Eph.2 And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, 2 in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, 3 among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.
Maybe for you its about proving that your not a stuck up stuffy Christian who’s holier than thou. Or maybe you don’t want to see your family miss out on the fun. I know that many Christian families struggle with what movies they will and will not watch and what video games they will and will not play and this sort of thing. And I find that a great way to make a determination is to ask yourself who's smiling. And then determine if it’s satan and his demons and not God are we going to do it anyways. I would hope not.
Eph 2:4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
If you are saved and believe in Jesus Christ. If you are saved then you have already experienced death and have been brought to life. If you are now a Christian Then there was a time before you were a Christian that you were dead in your sins but we have been “made alive together with Christ” for by grace we have been saved.
So why if we've come from death to life why would we go back there? Why would we have anything to do with it? The darkness and the light are opposites, Satan and God are opposites. One seeks to Kill and destroy, one tells you to go ahead and eat the apple, commit the sin and brings you from life to death. The other seeks to “make us alive all together” even at the price of the life of his son. So why would we go back there?
Have you ever heard someone say to their child “oh you are just like your father” Because children, especially the little ones, imitate their parents. NOT ONCE IN A WHILE OR ON OCCASION BUT ALL TIME In our lives, as children of God and followers of Christ Jesus our Lord and Savior we should be imitating Him. Not just on Sunday, not when certain people are watching but 24/7 just as a child does with His father. An “on demand” Christianity if you will, that can be turned on and off is not the same as a child who imitates their father.
Years ago in the exercise world it was P-90-X which was just a crazy workout. Before that it was Richard Simmons and dancing to the oldies. Some of you still have the VHS tapes in a closet somewhere. Somewhere in there were the Zumba days which I refused to participate in though Deanna try as she may.
I've got to say and this is a new one within the last few months. I don’t even know what it’s called but It’s a new exercise class designed around the dances performed by whitches. If you are dancing like a witch but calling it exercise. You're still dancing like a witch. You are performing a dance that was choreographed for a specific purpose even though you are not trying to conjure evil spirits or have any satanic or demonic connotations you're just doing it for exercise you have to ask yourself what do people see when they are looking at me and who was smiling and I can tell you Satan is the one who is smiling because a child of the Lord is dancing like a witch.
BE CLEARLY SEPARATE OF ANYTHING DEMONIC. NOT JUST AVOID IT. THAT’S NOT ENOUGH.
End: If someone does wear a funny costume of put up purple and green lights on there house. We are not to shake our heads and pray for their salvation.
II. ROMANS 14: 5 One person esteems one day above another; another esteems every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind. 6 He who observes the day, observes it to the Lord; and he who does not observe the day, to the Lord he does not observe it.,
Outside of the obviously evil parts of holloween listen to your conscience and be mindful of others as well.
14 I know and am convinced by the Lord Jesus that there is nothing unclean of itself; but to him who considers anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean. 15 Yet if your brother is grieved because of your food, you are no longer walking in love. Do not destroy with your food the one for whom Christ died. 16 Therefore do not let your good be spoken of as evil; Paul says the same thing about our freedoms in his letter to Corinthians
I COR. 8:9 But beware lest somehow this liberty of yours become a stumbling block to those who are weak. 10 For if anyone sees you who have knowledge eating in an idol’s temple, will not the conscience of him who is weak be emboldened to eat those things offered to idols? 11 And because of your knowledge shall the weak brother perish, for whom Christ died? 12 But when you thus sin against the brethren, and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ. 13 Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never again eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble.
For those questions that we have that do not have specific verse to guide us I have 3 simple questions for you to ask yourself. And these can be applied to just about anything you might come
1. DOES THIS VIOLATE MY CONSIENCE ? What does your heart tell you or rather what is the Holy Spirit telling you
2 DOES THIS DISHONONR CHRIST OR GLORIFY GOD? 1 COR. 10:31 Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.
3. COULD THIS CAUSE A WEAKER BROTHER TO STUMBLE - I COR. 8:9 But beware lest somehow this liberty of yours become a stumbling block to those who are weak. LOOK OUT FOR ONE ANOTHER
PHILLIPIANS 4:8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.
