Things That Go Bump In The Night

Mention about the Fall Gathering at the Webb farm this afternoon!

Its the sound of a creaking door off in the darkness of a dimly lit old house, followed by the slow, but methodical steps of an unseen person in the darkness moving towards you. The howling of the wind through the drafty window frames on a dark and stormy night and the inexplicable shape of a person that moves as a shadow along the wall as you turn. Or maybe its the chill that runs down your spine as you walk past the old cemetery and the light of the full moon allows you to see the dilapidated grave stones that serve as markers and reminders that DEATH is all around you!

What is it about these things and many, many more like them, that produces FEAR in the hearts of countless millions of people, and has done so for millenniums?

Why do so many people have bizarre superstitions and phobias that hold them in FEAR and drive their lives and actions in the avoidance of certain things and yet many other people go after those very same things, in order to produce FEAR in their hearts and minds?!

What is it about the Things That Go Bump In The Night that produce FEAR in our hearts and minds?

Is it just the elusiveness and the unknowing of the dark that grips us with this emotion, or is there more behind the veil than meets the eye?

And why is the darkness such a dread for many and the very breeding ground for FEAR in the hearts of people all over the world?

Why are DEATH and DARKNESS so closely associated to one another and their sum value equal to FEAR? And if there is the connotation of dread and ultimate FEAR with the combination of these two, then why we do pursue them as a means of entertainment?

And finally, what is it about the occultic that that holds both FEAR, as well as fascination for countless millions all around the world?

This morning and quite possibly next week, I will be speaking to you about the issue of FEAR and the things associated with it, in a message entitled, “Things That Go Bump In The Night”.

And in this message, I want to try and address what the Bible has to say about our FEAR, both what we SHOULD FEAR, as well as what we SHOULD NOT FEAR!

I will briefly touch on the issues of the occultic: things such as Wicca and witches and Ouija boards and the way in which Hollywood portrays these things.

And also the way in which the world and Christians alike feast at the table that Hollywood prepares for them with these movies and shows that portray horror and the macabre!

I will speak about the realm of the spiritual forces that exist all around us and that of angels and demons.

And of how people have an ungodly fascination with both sides.

And I will tell you of what true DEATH is and why it is the one that many should definitely FEAR and in doing so, I will briefly speak of DARKNESS; a DARKNESS that we of this world do not know of!

And if I am going to tell you of DEATH and DARKNESS and FEAR, then I will most definitely end this message, or series (depending on the length of time that it takes), with the antithesis of these things.

In place of DEATH, I will speak of what true LIFE is. In stead of DARKNESS, I will show you the LIGHT OF THE WORLD!

And for FEAR and its presence, I will speak of BOLDNESS and AUTHORITY and POWER and ultimately, LOVE; a LOVE that completely erases all unhealthy FEAR.

For you see, FEAR, is multifaceted! Not all FEAR is bad.

And so, I will start off with defining FEAR for you this morning and explaining some different forms of it.

The healthy as well as the unhealthy forms of this word.

First of all, what is FEAR? What does the Bible have to say about this word and does the Bible in fact spell out for the believer, what we should and should not FEAR?

In its simplest terms, the word FEAR, according to the Merriam Webster’s Dictionary, means, “an unpleasant often strong emotion caused by anticipation or awareness of danger; an anxious concern, and also, a profound reverence and awe especially toward God!

Remember that I just told you that not all FEAR is bad, right?

Well, when the Bible speaks of the FEAR of the Lord in the life of a believer in Jesus the Christ, it’s not speaking of this strong emotion that produces dread and the awareness of danger.

In fact, when the Bible mentions the FEAR of God, it shows it as the being a benefit to the believer and the source of all good things in our lives. Listen to just a few of the verses from the Bible, that mention the FEAR of the Lord and the benefits and blessings that go with this:

READ VERSES ABOUT THE FEAR OF THE LORD

The use of the word for FEAR in these and other passages like them in the Bible, does not refer to the unpleasant expectation of danger and dread, as in our emotional state of FEAR, but rather, the Hebrew word used here for FEAR, when speaking of our daily walk with God, refers to that of profound reverence and the worship of the Lord.

And when we have that reverential and worshipping sense of FEAR for Yahweh, then we begin to operate within all of the blessings of God.

Just as David said in , “Fear the Lord, you his saints, for those who fear him have no lack!

The reverential FEAR of the Lord is a fundamental must-have, in order to walk with the Lord and it’s also the beginning of and the sign of true spiritual wisdom, just as the wisest of men King Solomon said, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.”

And with this understanding, we come to the natural conclusion that those who do not truly FEAR the Lord, must be those who HATE knowledge and wisdom,

Now, in speaking about the reverent FEAR of the Lord, we must also be aware of another FEAR of the Lord that the Son of God, Jesus the Christ, Himself, mentioned in , where He said, “Dear friends, don’t be afraid of those who want to kill your body; they cannot do any more to you after that. But I’ll tell you whom to FEAR. FEAR God, who has the power to kill you and then throw you into hell. Yes, he’s the one to FEAR.”

You see, the FEAR of physical death for a true believer in Jesus, does not exist, because we know where our future lies in heaven with Him. The thought of DEATH to a Christian, is that of release and glory!

That is why the Apostle Paul stated, “To live is Christ and to die is gain.”

BUT, to the unbeliever and those who reject Jesus, there is the very real dread and FEAR of death. For behind the veil of death, awaits the very God whom they rejected in life.

And the denial of Jesus in this life, will certainly bring His denial of you in the life that comes after!

The rejection of God’s salvation is and should be a literal FEAR that brings dread and the expectation of judgement and suffering!

So, if Jesus the Christ is Lord of your life, then you should have only a healthy and reverent FEAR of the Lord God and not a FEAR and expectation of judgement.

tells us that, “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.”

In other words, if you are truly redeemed by the blood of the Christ, then His perfect love has removed the FEAR of the judgement of God and the second death from you your heart and mind and replaced it with His abiding peace and joy and LOVE!

But to those who reject a relationship with God through Jesus the Christ, there is a FEAR of physical death and after that death comes the second death, which is eternal judgement in the Lake of Fire!

So, there is a spiritual, reverential FEAR of the Lord God, which is good and healthy and one that every blood bought believer has, or should have, but then there is also another FEAR of God, which is always there and looming over the hearts of those who do not know Him as Lord and one that has with it, a dread of death, deep in their hearts!

This is a fear that resides because the sting of death has not yet been removed from their heart and soul by the atoning blood of Jesus the Christ!

Now since we are at the time of year known to the world as, Halloween, or Samhain (“sow-win”), as it was originally called when it was a form of Celtic and Druid worship centuries ago, I though that some emphasis should be placed upon the issues of our unhealthy fascination with horror and the macabre and with witchcraft and the demonic, was very much relevant.

And when I say, “our fascination”, I am speaking about the secular, as well as the church world and their use of and fascination with these things and the FEAR that these things produce in people’s lives!

And for clarity, I am not speaking about or discussing with you this morning, the issues of Halloween and whether it is right or wrong for you and your family.

Let the Holy Spirit of God speak to you and your heart on this matter.

If you feel convicted about Halloween, a day which is in fact a day given to much darkness, and because of your conviction that this day is wrong, you believe that a Christian should not be a part of Halloween and so you and your family simply turn the lights off and have no part of it, then I say amen.

But, if you go out and buy some Christian tracts for children and go to the door when they come up and you place some candy into their bags and also drop a tract into their bag and plant a seed with the statement, “Jesus loves you so very much”, (which may be the only seed of the gospel that they will truly get), then I will again say, “AMEN!”

My objective this morning and next week, is to present to you the very real and dangerous fascination that many people have developed with things that HAVE NO PART or PLACE WITHIN THE KINGDOM OF GOD and within the lives of those who call themselves a Christian!

Why do people love to be scared? What is it inside of certain people’s minds that prompt them to watch horror flicks and to go and visit these “extreme” haunted houses and what is the fascination that many have with the macabre and the occultic and the demonic?

Well, many people will say that it’s the feeling that they get when something, or someone scares them.

You see, FEAR, the true emotional state of FEAR, is a protective mechanism that God designed and put within each one of us. So, FEAR, in the natural sense, is not necessarily wrong or bad.

Let’s say that you are walking home late at night and behind you, somewhere in the darkness, you hear footsteps. So, you begin to feel uneasy and your desire to get home suddenly increases, and so you begin to pick up your pace.

Much to your dismay, you notice that sound of the footsteps behind you increases in pace, as your does!

At this moment, your brain is going into what we call, the “fight-or-flight” syndrome and it becomes “hyper alert”! Your eyes instantly dilate to let in more light, your heart rate instantly increases to push more blood and oxygen to your muscles, the bronchi in your lungs dilate to allow the flow of more air, your body make available more glucose in the blood, to give your muscles more energy to burn, all in order to allow you to either turn and fight whatever, or whoever is behind you, or take off running for safety instead!

Your brain instantly evaluates the scenario, and tells you, “RUN” and off you go, and all the while, your brain is dumping dopamine and adrenaline into your system, to heighten and increase your skills and strength, so as to preserve and protect your life from eminent danger!

This is why God gave us the FEAR FACTOR in our minds; to protect ourselves.

And your brain and its logic center decides this is dangerous or this is not really a threat and then it responds.

When people watch horror flicks, or go to these extreme haunted houses, they are triggering this systemic response and they get the dump of dopamine into their systems and that rush that comes with it, that soon ends as the movie concludes, or the haunted house tour ends.

Or does it?

You see, it’s not just what you are feeding your mind that you must take into account, but also and more importantly, what are you feeding your spirit inside?

Listen to what Jesus said about the things that we allow inside of our heart and mind and spirit. In , Jesus tells us that our where our treasure is, there our hearts will be also. In other words, the things that you truly desire will determine the true condition of your heart and soul and mind. And it also show the condition of your spiritual health!

Then, as soon as Jesus says this about what we treasure and the condition of our heart, He says this, “Your eye is like a lamp that provides light for your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is filled with light. But when your eye is unhealthy, your whole body is filled with darkness. And if the light you think you have is actually darkness, how deep that darkness is!”

Are you getting the gist of what Jesus is saying? Whatever you and I allow into our heart and mind through our eyes (what you are desiring to see), will determine your spiritual health.

Or as Jesus put it, it determines how much light, or how much darkness you are letting inside of your soul and spirit!

And when you have become so deceived that you think that you’re still a “good Christian” and that the things going into your mind and spirit are light, when they are really dark, how great is the darkness that is really inside of you overall?!!!!

There comes a point, when you become so desensitized by these things, that your mind no longer recognizes them as dangerous and your spirit becomes accustomed to the horror and the scenes of mutilation and the grotesque and macabre and you call it entertainment!

And when your entertainment is nothing but darkness going inside of you and you do not see it as spiritually dark anymore, you are in trouble!

The Bible says that everything that we do is to be done to the glory of God, right? How is anything that glorifies death and murder and mutilation and demonic activity glorifying God in Heaven?

Christians will justify it and say that it is only a movie, or a book, or a show and that they do not really think that way, or believe and want to be a part of what they are watching or reading. It’s just entertainment! But who, or what are you entertaining?

What part of light and godliness does anything that deals with the occult and murder and demonic activity have?

And if it is nothing but darkness, why would you allow it in to your mind and spirit voluntarily and into your home and into your children’s eyes and hearts and minds?

Remember parents, you are spiritual guardians in your home and whatever your children witness you giving approval to, tells them that it is OK and safe for them as well.

Whether that be a movie, or a game, or a book, or things that we say and read on social media. When you show approval of it and do not correct it, you are saying to them, “It’s all good. Dive right in!”

And once your approval has been given and they begin to explore, you will have no control over the depths of their exploration, because you SPIRITUALLY said yes and opened the door and they simply followed your lead and walked in.

And once inside, the enemy will customize the darkness to suite them and show them more and more things that go way beyond anything you did, because darkness is darkness and once you say yes to one part of it, voluntarily, then you have said yes to the whole kingdom of darkness.

There is no partiality!

There are only two kingdoms that exist. The kingdom of light and the kingdom of darkness. Everything that you and I say and do, glorifies one kingdom or the other.

And even if others in your home do not see what you are watching and reading, you are still bringing glory to one kingdom or the other and allowing the hosts of that kingdom, to come into your vessel (your mind) and also into your home!

There is a famous Hollywood movie director who professes Jesus as Lord of his life, and who directs some of the modern and highly disturbing horror movies that are produced currently.

He says that he is using the movies to show the great level of darkness that exists and to help expose these things and bring them into the light and to make people aware that such things as demons and demonic activity and demonic possession are real!

Using darkness to expose darkness, makes no sense, right? That’s like saying that you’re producing and watching pornography to expose sexual sin and show how bad it is!

The only way to dispel darkness is to TURN ON THE LIGHT! You must bring Jesus into your life, not more darkness!

Did you know that witchcraft and pagan worship and Wicca are all on the rise in this nation? Witches now outnumber the number of Presbyterians in this country. In fact, in 1990 there were around only 8,000 practicing Wiccans in this nation. As of 2014, that number had grown to 1.5 million people who were practicing Wicca. And with the advent of the internet accessibility and social media, that number is growing rapidly. It has been estimated that the number of Americans that are Wiccans is doubling every 30 months, and that there are well over 8 million unregistered practitioners of Wicca in the US.

This past Friday night, all over this country, practicing Wiccans and witches and warlocks and new-pagan worshippers came together (again) to cast what is called, a “binding spell” upon President Trump and on his cabinet.

Introduce Lisa and why you asked her to come and give her testimony.