Date: 4th May 2008 (Sunday AM) Ref: A0382...
Date: 4th May 2008 (Sunday AM) Ref: A0382
Place: Kambah P.S.
Title: Paranormal Explosion
Text: & Deut 18:10-14
Illust: Some time ago Kelvin Cruickshank joined New Idea. – So what? You might ask. Well Kelvin Cruickshank is a medium & the New Idea promo for Kelvin stated “Kelvin Cruickshank has helped thousands of people make contact with their loved ones who have passed away and now he can help you. Kelvin is joining New Idea, and in his weekly column he will give readings from your nearest and dearest who have passed over - as well as the other spirits who have touched your life.” – Symptomatic of the rising level of interest in the occult in all levels of society
I. Secular to Occult
A. Secular Society
i. At an ACL Conference , the then Treasurer Peter Costello spoke & while claiming a belief in Christ, he also stated that Australia was a secular society, with a secular Government.
ii. While much of modern Western society is generally recognized as secular, i.e. the general belief that we don’t have a state religion & therefore religion does not ultimately dictate political decisions, Secularism is also an ideology that sees religion & supernatural beliefs as an irrational way to understand the world & therefore that science, naturalistic thinking & materialism are the only valid ways to approach life,
iii. This is the views of the vocal atheists, the skeptics, much of our scientific establishment. Denies the existence of God. We evolved, there is no God, made up by primitives who couldn’t understand nature. Science has set us free from having to believe in God. We evolved from pond slime millions of years ago – Prevailing world view – Interesting therefore:
AUSTRALIA has the dubious honour of having the English-speaking world's first, second and fourth ranked cities when it comes to searching "how to commit suicide" on Google
Australia has the 44th highest suicide rate in the world according to statistics compiled by the World Health Organisation.
B. Occultic Society
i. And also that as our society becomes increasingly secular, the people become emptier, lack purpose / meaning to their lives, they have become more superstitious, desperate to believe that there is something beyond themselves.
ii. We see the rise in interest in clairvoyants, mediums, spiritists, astrology – Can’t pick up a paper / news site – your star sign.
Tarot cards, séances, ‘readings’; Spiritist or Holistic Healing – Crystals, Reiki, Reflexology, Chiropractic, Witchcraft, Wicca
Big business – Mainstream – Shopping Centres, magazines like New Idea, Movies, TV programs.
Sensing Murder, hosted by Rebecca Gibney – one episode
“Our psychics are challenged to uncover leads in a disappearance case. Armed with only a photograph of the victim, and with no proior knowledge of the case, the mediums use only their psychic ability to uncover the truth about about this chilling case.”
iii. Rise in Ghost movies, Ghost TV, haunted locations, the supernatural, The Gothic subculture – very dark supernatural overtones. – A lot of interest a lot of mediums & these people are serious;
Debby has had the gift of attracting spirits all her life and still does to this day. In our almost 17 years of marriage, I cannot think of one home where we have not had plenty of spirit activity. I believe that is largely one of the reasons for our success. Although Debby is already a psychic/clairvoyant, she is currently working on her certification at the Morris Pratt Institute for mediumship. At this time we have decided to make our work available to a larger group of people via private and group EVP sessions.
Psychic Rosanna Rogers of Cleveland explains the variety and the scope of people who visit fortune tellers: “couch potatoes aren’t the only people seeking the counsel of psychics and astrologers. Clairvoyants have a booming business advising Philadelphia bankers, Hollywood lawyers and CEO’s of Fortune 500 companies... If people knew how many people, especially the very rich and powerful ones, went to psychics, their jaws would drop through the floor.”[13]
II. Forbidden
A. Not to be found
i. How should we as Christians view this? – Firstly need to understand that any & all involvement in the occult is expressly forbidden by God. & vs 10-12
Leviticus 19:31 ‘Give no regard to mediums and familiar spirits; do not seek after them, to be defiled by them: I am the Lord your God. (NKJV)
ii. This includes any involvement in astrology, your star signs, anything that has at it’s base an occultic origin. By that I mean it is based in false eastern religion, witchcraft, mind control. – Brings a judgement
1 Chronicles 10:13 So Saul died for his unfaithfulness which he had committed against the Lord, because he did not keep the word of the Lord, and also because he consulted a medium for guidance. (NKJV)
iii. Vs 10 of our text is very specific, speaking to the people of God “There shall not be found among you” – You are not to be involved in any form of occultic behaviour
B. Hidden Dangers
i. The challenge in our society where there is so much that is considered normal practice that has it’s roots in the occult is to be discerning to be aware:
Already mentioned astrology, so prevalent, easy to overlook that ‘divination’ as this is called in the Bible is forbidden, opens the door further to deeper occultic involvement.
Yoga, very common, - Need to understand, not just relaxation & exercise. – Hindu background. Yoga was developed by Patanjali, a philosophical dualist, to free the souls of human beings from what he believed was their false identification with matter. – At it’s core it is rooted in eastern mysticism / hinduism
A lot of secular “self help” books at the core, you are god, you can achieve anything.
Much of this is the original lie of the serpent.
Genesis 3:4-5 4 Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. 5 For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” (NKJV)
ii. You shall not die, - reincarnation, Karma, - you will be like God, - we are all god’s , god is in us, a apart of us, pantheism.
iii. As parents, we need to be alert, many occultic themes in kids movies – Lion King – circle of life, the witch doctor, - nothing funny or innocent about witch doctors in Africa.
III. Follow After the Lord
A. Repent Renounce
i. If you have been involved in any occult practices, séances, yoga, Iridology, chiropractor, martial arts, Dungeons & Dragons, Crystals, reading your star signs, going to a fortune teller (maybe even as a joke – Not a joking matter) – Need to recognise that any & all involvement in the occult is sin and needs to be confessed as such
ii. You need to repent of your involvement & renounce your involvement.
Acts 19:19-20 19 Also, many of those who had practiced magic brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all. And they counted up the value of them, and it totaled fifty thousand pieces of silver. 20 So the word of the Lord grew mightily and prevailed. (NKJV)
iii. At this altar, as the Holy Spirit may quicken things to your mind, come and repent & ask forgiveness
B. Trust in the Lord
i. We don’t serve demons, we serve the living loving God who is all powerful and has the best for you. We should not be seeking the future, realisation, purpose, meaning destiny from the things of the world – But seeking God
Isaiah 8:19 And when they say to you, “Seek those who are mediums and wizards, who whisper and mutter,” should not a people seek their God? Should they seek the dead on behalf of the living? (NKJV)
ii. The call for you & I is to trust God, to put your faith in Him
Psalm 37: 3 Trust in the Lord, and do good; Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness. ….5 Commit your way to the Lord, Trust also in Him, And He shall bring it to pass. …..7 Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, Because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass. (NKJV)
Psalm 62:8 Trust in Him at all times, you people; Pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us. Selah (NKJV)
iii. God will be your refuge & your strength. – Be alert, be aware & do not get involved in the occult