Sermon Series: Skeletons in the Closet

Sermon title: Should Christians Participate Halloween?

The History of Halloween

https://www.history.com/topics/holidays/samhain#wicca-and-samhain

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q369iQJ49cY

What does the Bible say about Halloween?

While the bible does not directly say “thou shalt not celebrate Halloween” and Halloween came into existence after the Bible was written.  We are to use discernment based upon what the bible does instruct. 

Let’s first make it clear that as Christians we live to bring glory to God in the earth. 

1 Corinthians 10:31

³¹ So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. 

Should we abstain totally, or can Halloween be used for God’s glory?

• If you lean on the side that it could be used for God’s glory, could the entirety be used, or should somethings be discarded?
• After discarding certain parts what is left?

Now for the Bible.  While this passage is not an exact match it deals with something similar that the church at Corinth was toiling with. 

The issue at that time was eating meat that had been offered to idols.  It was custom among the heathens to make feasts on their sacrifices, and not only to eat themselves, but invite their friends to partake with them. These were usually kept in the temple, where the sacrifice was offered (v. 10), and, if any thing was left when the feast ended, it was usual to carry away a portion to their friends; what remained, after all, belonged to the priests, who sometimes sold it in the markets. Does eating meat make a person unclean?  That was the question that Paul answers in his letter to the Corinthians.

Christians back then lived among idolaters just as we do today. They had many relationships and friends who were heathens.  When the occasion would arise to eat at their tables, what should they do if anything that had been sacrificed should be set before them? 

1 Corinthians 8

 ¹ Now concerning food offered to idols: we know that “all of us possess knowledge.” This “knowledge” puffs up, but love builds up. ² If anyone imagines that he knows something, he does not yet know as he ought to know. ³ But if anyone loves God, he is known by God.

⁴ Therefore, as to the eating of food offered to idols, we know that “an idol has no real existence,” and that “there is no God but one.” 

If there was a sin that epitomizes paganism, it is the sin of idolatry.  It was because of idolatry that God had rightfully judged the Israelites, He caused them to wander in the wilderness for forty years, some of them were swallowed up by the ground, others bitten by venomous snakes, others killed in warfare. 

For God is a jealous God (Exodus 34:14) and He will not tolerate the worship of other gods especially among His own people.  So, God takes idolatry very seriously.  But we are not talking about the actual sin of idolatry which is obviously very wrong. 

But the matter at hand is eating the food that is offered to idols.  Was it wrong to partake of it.

First let’s make sure that we are clear about how we are saved.  We are saved by grace and through faith in Jesus Christ.  Through our faith in Jesus, we come to know His love for us and we are then able to reciprocate that love back to Him and to others.  Look back at vs 3.  “if any loves God, he is known by God.” 

So, our actions should reflect our love for God. In fact, just to reflect upon the greatest two commandments. 

            Matthew 22:36-40

³⁶ “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” ³⁷ And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. ³⁸ This is the great and first commandment. ³⁹ And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. ⁴⁰ On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”

So, the greatest thing that we can do is walk in love towards God and towards man.  The scriptures say that as we do this that we are known by God. Then Paul discredits idols by saying that they are no God at all.  There is only one God. 

⁵ For although there may be so-called gods in heaven or on earth—as indeed there are many “gods” and many “lords”— ⁶ yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whomwe exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.

⁷ However, not all possess this knowledge. But some, through former association with idols, eat food as really offered to an idol, and their conscience, being weak, is defiled. 

But here we see the real issue.  It was not the fact that they were eating food offered to an idol, for an idol is nothing and food is nothing there is no divinity in them. 

Heathen idols are not gods, nor are they to be respected as gods, for there is no other God but one.  One God made all, and therefore has power over all. All things are made of him and for Him.

Though they were converts to Christianity they were not perfectly cured of their old ways. They had retained a respect for the idols they had worshipped before.

While they ate what was sacrificed to them they did so out of veneration for them, and there by experienced the guilt of idolatry, and so greatly polluted themselves. 

They could not separate eating the food with the revering of an idol, to them it was sin.

So, we can see it was a heart condition.  It was a matter acting against their conscience.

Paul goes on to say:

⁸ Food will not commend us to God. We are no worse off if we do not eat, and no better off if we do. ⁹ But take care that this right of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak. ¹⁰ For if anyone sees you who have knowledge eating in an idol's temple, will he not be encouraged, if his conscience is weak, to eat food offered to idols? ¹¹ And so by your knowledge this weak person is destroyed, the brother for whom Christ died. ¹² Thus, sinning against your brothers and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ. ¹³ Therefore, if foodmakes my brother stumble, I will never eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble.

Now we are getting to the heart of the matter.   Pastor Rene would always say “What you do in moderation your kids will do in excess.”  If by your freedom, you cause another brother or sister to stumble then you are not walking in love and the bible would say that it is sin. 

Paul says that eating the food offered to the idol was nothing.  Until it offends another brother or sister for whom Christ died for.  At that point the eating which was nothing has now become something. 

The whole idea again comes to the issue of loving one another.  It is always about our hearts. He tells them that mere eating and drinking had nothing in them virtuous nor criminal, nothing that could make them better nor worse, pleasing nor displeasing to God

Jesus said the same thing.

Matthew 15:11

¹¹ it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth; this defiles a person.” 

            Jeremiah 17:10

“I the Lord search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds.”

The real question should be,

• Am I loving God, by what I display in my life during this time of year?
• Am I loving others, by my actions during Halloween?
• Is what I’m doing God honoring? (Would God be pleased with your decorations)
• Is what I’m doing causing someone to stumble or fall.
• Is there anything about Halloween that a Christian should not partake of?
• Am I just trying to justify my actions by denying my conscience.

The danger that might accrue to weak brethren, even those weak brethren for whom Christ died. We must deny ourselves even what is lawful rather than occasion their stumbling, and endanger their souls

we should have so much compassion for them as to deny ourselves, for their sakes, in various instances, and not use our liberty to their hurt, to occasion their stumbling, or hazard their ruin

He who hath the Spirit of Christ in him will love those whom Christ loved, so as to die for them, and will study to promote their spiritual and eternal warfare, and shun every thing that would unnecessarily grieve them, and much more everything that would be likely to occasion their stumbling, or falling into sin. 

The hurt done to them Christ takes as done to himself: When you sin so against the weak brethren and wound their consciences, you sin against Christ,

• Is what I’m doing glorifying God?

• Would Jesus want me to do this?

• Are my actions pursuing a worldly culture?

Ephesians 5:11

¹¹ Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. 

Paul continues his disposition regarding food offered to idols in chapter 10.

1 Corinthians 10:18-221

¹⁸ Consider the people of Israel: are not those who eat the sacrifices participants in the altar? ¹⁹ What do I imply then? That food offered to idols is anything, or that an idol is anything? ²⁰ No, I imply that what pagans sacrifice they offer to demons and not to God. I do not want you to be participants with demons. ²¹ You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons. ²² Shall we provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than he?

Let’s look at one more passage briefly:

Romans 14:1-9

¹ As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions. ² One person believes he may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables. ³ Let not the one who eats despise the one who abstains, and let not the one who abstains pass judgment on the one who eats, for God has welcomed him. ⁴ Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand. ⁵ One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind.⁶ The one who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord. The one who eats, eats in honor of the Lord, since he gives thanks to God, while the one who abstains, abstains in honor of the Lord and gives thanks to God.⁷ For none of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself. ⁸ For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord's. ⁹ For to this end Christ died and lived again, that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living.

Getting back to my point I made earlier, that we do all things for the glory of God. But I like what verse 5 says which really puts things in the right perspective. 

Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind.

This is where I trust the work of the Holy Spirit.  Because as a Spirit filled believer, He will lead you into the right path for your life.  He will convict you of wrongdoing.  So, if your conscience is unsettled about this issue, it could be God wanting to change you. 

When we give our lives to Christ, we must repent. This repentance should include renouncing any involvement with darkness including witchcraft.  We must follow the example of the early believers in Acts 19:19.

Acts 19:18-20

¹⁸ Also many of those who were now believers came, confessing and divulging their practices. ¹⁹ And a number of those who had practiced magic arts brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all. And they counted the value of them and found it came to fifty thousand pieces of silver. ²⁰ So the word of the Lord continued to increase and prevail mightily.

So, what about Halloween?

Obviously, there are things about Halloween that the Bible speaks against.

• Witches, sorcery, warlocks, demon, spells, praying to the dead, darkness

(in old testament times they were put to death)

• Human sacrifices,
• idolatry
• Greed
• Ungratefulness
• Violence (any action that is not walking in love toward one another)

After taking away such things what is left?

I think our Harvest night celebrations are a God honoring event.  It is where Christian brothers and sisters come together, share a meal, play some games, and just have some pure fun.

People left encouraged last time so we encourage you to come as well.  I believe this time of year could be very God honoring as He has provided for us year-round.

But as you may engage in other festivities during this season, ask yourself if it is God honoring.  Am I displaying my love for Him and for other people well this season.

Ask for the guidance of the Holy spirit as you navigate this time.