OPEN: Tomorrow is October 31st. It is best known as the day of Halloween, but it also the day on which other significant events have taken place.
· In 1938 Orson Welles broadcast his famous “War of the Worlds” that caused much of the United States to become panicked by the possibility that Mars might be invading the world.
· Houdini died on this date in 1926.
· And in 1517 Martin Luther posted his 95 Thesis (questions) which challenged many of the teachings of the Catholic Church on a church door in Wittenberg. In many protestant churches this day is called “Reformation Day”.
But as significant as those events in history have been… this is still the season of “Halloween”. It is a pervasive holiday. In fact, Halloween has literally become a national holiday.
Only Christmas out-earns Halloween.
Only New Year’s Eve and Super Bowl Sunday out-party it.
During this time of year, our children can hardly get away from it.
It’s part of almost all their cartoons. It’s included in nearly all the shows they might watch. It’s advertised excessively not only on TV, but also in WalGreens, Wal-Mart, and at the local grocery store. Kids from the neighborhood traipse up and down the street wearing all kinds of outfits, laughing, collecting candy and… frankly having a lot of fun.
But there is a dark side to this “holiday.”
A&E recently had an hour long program describing the pagan background for much of the activities that traditionally are part of decorations and activities at this time of year.
A lot of kids dress up like cult-figures - demons, witches, and ghouls and goblins.
Many of the TV programs and movies at this time of year focus on death and dismemberment in the most horrid of ways.
AND Police report on a large number of animals who are often ritually sacrificed every year on this date.
It’s BECAUSE of this dark side of Halloween that my kids have never gone “Trick or Treating”. That’s also why many churches attempt to offer counter-celebrations that try to divert their children away from the dark side… and point toward the light. One of our sister churches has a celebration they call their “Holy Ghost Weiner Roast.” Another church I heard of has a “Fools For Christ” Festivity, and still another has a “Touched By An Angel” activity where their kids dress up like angels and hand out tracts throughout the neighborhood.
Our congregation has HarvestFest. It’s a celebration that still offers the fun of costumes and candy and games, but plays down the wicked side of the season. Kids were politely asked NOT to wear demonic outfits (in fact, they won’t win prizes if they do). Our children’s minister Greg Peck gives a devotion that focused on Jesus as our “light” who has overcome the darkness of this world. And we view this as a great opportunity to reach out to our community while giving our own kids a chance to have good clean fun. It’s a chance for us to talk to others about Jesus and what He does for our lives.
I. But this time of year also gives me an excellent opportunity to talk about something a whole lot more dangerous than letting our kids go “trick or treating.”
As dark and distasteful as Halloween can be, it only comes once a year. The topic I’m going to discuss this morning has a far more insidious effect on people because it is embraced by many Americans every day of the year. I’m talking about the occult.
In one recent survey of 1700 teens, it was found that
25% (one of every 4) High Schoolers admitted to having used Ouija Boards
19% (one of every 5) had used astrology or their horoscope to learn about their future.
11% (one of every 10) had had their palms read.
Hollywood – always on the lookout for way to push the envelope as well as looking for ways of tapping into a new marketing group - has begun to introduce TV shows with a renewed passion that focus on the occult.
Montel Williams has “Fortune-teller” (Silvia Brown) as a regular visitor.
Tony Danza’s talk show regularly features a “Numerologist” (basically a fortune-teller who tells your future based on your name’s “numeric value”).
There are numerous Shows dealing with “Channeling” and “speaking to the dead”.
A couple of years ago, there was a big show called “Crossing Over” where the host claimed he could speak to the dead.
Mediums and those who “speak to ghosts” have become popular with two of the most recent being “Medium” starring Patricia Arquette and “Ghost Whiperers” starring Jennifer Love Hewitt.
Other shows try to make witchcraft look acceptable. Charmed has been an extremely popular show over the past decade and then there’s the child oriented wickedness: a cartoon entitled “W.I.T.C.H.”
And this doesn’t even begin to cover the movies and video games that glorify the occult
II. Now (that said) we need to realize that these are the kind of entertainments and activities we should expect from a pagan world.
The people who put these shows don’t really care if God’s pleased or not. In fact, I suspect many of these shows are deliberate efforts to thumb noses at religious people in the hopes of making them mad.
In addition the people who create these displays of paganism are also driven by profit. They are attempting to tap into a market that wants to experience the promised power and mysticism of the occult.
That is what we should expect from a pagan culture.
But, WE (who are Christians) MUST NOT touch these things.
Look again with me at Deuteronomy 18:10-14
“Let no one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination (Ouija Boards/ horoscopes) or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead.
Anyone who does these things is detestable to the LORD, and because of these detestable practices the LORD your God will drive out those nations before you.
You must be blameless before the LORD your God.
The nations you will dispossess listen to those who practice sorcery or divination. But as for you, the LORD your God has not permitted you to do so.”
But, what’s so wrong with these activities?
The most basic reason is: it ticks God off
These things are “Detestable to God”
They are an abomination to God…
They are disgusting to Him
Deuteronomy tells us that God was literally kicking entire nations out of their homes because they engaged in this type of disgusting behavior.
Seems a little drastic doesn’t it? I mean, all those folks were doing was pursuing some harmless entertainment. What’s the big deal? Just because something is disgusting doesn’t warrant that kind of response does it?
ILLUS: I just saw a news report about a man who upset with a local grocery store. He was so angry that he dried out some human manure, turned it into a fine powder using a cheese grater and (they caught this on tape) …he entered the grocery store, went to the pastry section and sprinkled his “treat” on the donuts and pastries there. I believe I heard that he did this for 7 months before they caught him!
Patrons routinely complained about the smell… and yes, the taste of the pastries (people actually ate those donuts) and finally, store officials began to suspect something “foul” was afoot and caught the man on tape.
Brought up before the court, the man argued that he only meant it as a joke. Apparently the legal system wasn’t laughing very much because he was sentenced to 5 years in jail and a $3000 fine. I believe if they could have, they’d have given him a far stiffer sentence.
Now, do you think this behavior was “disgusting?” (YES!!! It was)
Do you think the pastries would have tasted bad?
Do you think they’d have smelled bad?
Would it have turned your stomach to have bit into one of those donuts and then found out what this man had done?
What God is telling His people here in Deuteronomy is that - when His people engage in this kind of behavior:
it creates a foul taste in Him mouth
a stench in his nostrils
It’s enough to turn His stomach.
But what gets God so angry about these activities?
1st – It’s a form of worship
Witchcraft
Fortune telling
Consulting the Dead
People who engage in these activities are looking to gain control of their lives from forces other than God. Whenever a person goes to a fortune teller, consults a Ouija board or horoscope, or seeks the help of a Medium or Witch, they’re telling God
“Hey – I want help You can’t supply!”
They bow down at the altar of paganism because they’ve turned their back on God.
In Leviticus 19:31 we’re told: “Do not turn to mediums or seek out spiritists, for you will be defiled by them. I am the LORD your God.”
Isaiah 8:19 tells us When men tell you to consult mediums and spiritists, who whisper and mutter, should not a people inquire of their God? Why consult the dead on behalf of the living?
God is a jealous God and it is offensive to Him for His people seek help from pagan sources. “Don’t be seeking your advise from pagan altars” He says, “because I AM YOUR GOD.” If you belong to me, these other sources of power and counsel will defile you.
2nd – Such activities are often powered by demonic forces.
Now, most of those who offer to read your fortune or put together horoscopes are charlatans. They’re playing you. They’re telling you what you want to hear in order to get your money they want to have.
ILLUS: Back in 1985 I read the account of a woman who’d been a sideshow palm reader.
She said that she could have read your foot as easily as she read your palm. It was all a fake.
She said she “closely observed the way people entered the tent, their clothes, their manner, the initial remarks, the texture of their hands (whether or not they had known manual work).
Faces were most revealing. There were sulky, bad-tempered faces and faces that reflected a happy disposition. A mother’s face had qualities not present in the face of a childless woman.
Eyes indicated assent or denial, expressed fear and concealment.
It paid to tell every third person that his hand was unique. It softened him up, and he told me more about himself. I then repeated it back in different words.
Professional fortunetellers all learn the "law-of-average incidents". For instance, practically everyone falls in love, has quarrels and reconciliations, spends unwisely and meets dark, attractive strangers. Nearly every teenager has had a disagreement with a sweetheart and longs to travel. Tell them any of these things and you will be right by the “law of average incidents.”
Fortunetellers also use a technique called "strong-pointing,” making a statement and elaborating on it or contradicting it according to the expression it brings to the face of the client. For example, if I wanted to know whether a girl was going with a fair or a dark boy I would say, looking steadily at her, "You are going with a dark -" If her expression registered a denial, I switched quickly: "No- a fair boy. A friend of yours is going with a dark boy." If she now looked pleased, I worked from the fair-boy angle.
An old pro once told me he had a small hole in the side of his tent thru which he could see if the client entering had anyone waiting outside. Some of his other tricks of the trade: tell young men they are attractive to girls; tell small-town girls they will eventually work in the city; tell an aged woman she has a wonderful son; and tell all discontented women that they will shortly have fights with their husbands.” (Reader’s Digest 10/85 p.84)
There are a lot of crooks out there.
But Ben Alexander (a Christian who came out of occult) tells us that the “Spirit World is real”. He personally took part in many séances, channelings and spiritist activities. He says there are “mediums”, there are “channelers”, there are people who have “familiar spirits” who are literally talking to someone/ something that literally exists… but they’re not talking to the dead. They’re working with demonic forces.
ILLUS: Consider the story from Acts 16 which tells of a slave girl/ fortuneteller (spirit) - who followed Paul and Silas around proclaiming that “These are the servants of the most High God”
Well, she must have been something of a pest because Paul finally turned around and spoke to the spirit that dwelt within here: “In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to come out of her!" At that moment the spirit left her.” (Acts 16:18)
Her owners became angry because she could no longer tell fortunes. They had lost the income they’d gained from her because she was so effective in telling people’s fortunes. That slave girl had literally been DEMON POSSESSED.
What that story in Acts tells us is… there are people who can tell your future… but they’re not getting their information from some dead relative. They’re talking to demons.
And that makes sense. Because if you’re not getting your knowledge about the future from God and His angels who else is going to be able to supply that information???
3rd – Because such activities are demonic, they often create fear
ILLUS: My dad once consulted a fortune teller. The woman told him that he would have four children – he did. She predicted he’d have 2 daughters and 2 sons – he did. She informed him he would have a home by the water – he bought a cabin court on a lake where I spent the majority of my youth.
AND then she told him the day he would die.
Dad always said it didn’t bother him to know when he would die… but it did. Every once in while he’d bring up the prophecy (he never told us what the date was). And then that day came… and it went… and dad still lived. Dad never brought the topic up again. He had dabbled with the occult and the prophecy of that Fortune Teller created a low grade fear in him that lasted for years.
3rd – Such activities can create bondage
ILLUS: Bill Gothard tells of the time he was approached by a young couple who was having trouble with their youngest of 3 daughters. The child had an eerie habit of screaming horrendously & then smiling in a deathly calm way, scream and then smile - but only when they entered a church building. He says he wouldn’t have believed it if he hadn’t seen it himself.
They approached him because they had heard him in one of his seminars and hoped that he could help.
So he began to ask some questions. Had either of them been involved with fortune telling in any way? the wife related that before she was married, her mother had taken her to a restaurant where an old woman asked if her mother would like the daughter’s fortune read for a dollar.
Her mother, thinking it to be a lark, fished out a dollar from her purse and let the old woman read tea leaves for her daughter.
The fortune teller told the daughter that she would marry a tall dark man in a uniform and that they would have 3 children - all boys. Indeed, she fell in love with a tall man with a dark complexion who was in the military.
They married and when she became pregnant... she thoroughly expected to give birth to a boy. But, she was disappointed - not once, not twice, but three times. And she found herself particularly disappointed with this third child.
So Gothard explained that one of the dangers of fortune telling is that it is often 90% right - but its the 10% that Satan can use against us.
Whether it was direct demonic influence or simply the result of personal disappointment, the tea reading had led to the odd behavior of this third child.
That night, the couple went home and prayed over their youngest daughter as she lay in her bed and asked forgiveness for the sins of the past and thanked God for giving them this beautiful child. From that day forward, the odd screaming and weird smile never reoccurred.
CLOSE: The appeal of the occult is in it’s supposed power to give us control of our lives and of the lives of those around us. But it is a false and dangerous promise. Note: God never tells us to avoid these activities because they don’t work. He never says they will not yield some of what they promise. He simply says: DON’T DO IT. You are My people and are called to be holy and separate from this kind of wickedness. Don’t touch it. Don’t accept it. Don’t do it.
Besides, why would God’s people ever want or need such wickedness to be part of their lives? We have so much more that our God has offered us:
Romans 8:31-35 & 37-39 tells us:
“What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us?
He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all— how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?
Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies.
Who is he that condemns?
Christ Jesus, who died— more than that, who was raised to life— is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?…
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
OTHER SERMONS IN THIS “THAT AIN’T RIGHT” SERIES:
Damaging the Truth - Ephesians 4:17-4:32
Being Filled With the Spirit(s) - Ephesians 5:15-5:21
The Disease Of Jonah - Hebrews 12:14-12:17
It Was Just A Little Mistake - 1 Kings 13:1-13:32
Abuse of Power - Deuteronomy 18:9-18:14
