Community, we have to understand today that light and darkness cannot co-exist together.
The God of the universe understood this, that’s why when He created the world and divided the day from the night. In Genesis 1:4 … “when nighttime comes the day diminishes and when the daytime comes the night diminishes.” There is no co-habitation with the two, it’s either one or the other.
Now Satan’s kingdom is the kingdom of darkness, and God’s kingdom is the kingdom of light — and these two kingdoms cannot exist together; there can be no fellowship between the two.
The thing about light is this: light dispels darkness. Now we Christian believers are children of light, we represent God and his kingdom; and the unchurched world represent Satan and his kingdom. Then we need to understand that Satan uses deception to disguise his employments; even that which seem to be harmless can be an instrument in his hand to accomplish his evil purposes.
So I look at the word “TRICK” … now Webster’s Dictionary says the word “TRICK” means, “something designed to deceive, swindle, a prank, etc.” It can also mean “deception.” And then I looked at the word “deception” … and that word means, “to deceive” … and the word “deceive” means, “to make a person believe what is NOT true.”
Community friends, when we think of deceiving, we think of the devil, who is the master at deceiving, and he is doing a good job deceiving. In fact, when it comes to Halloween, what we think to be a treat is actually a trick.
Now on tomorrow evening youngsters all over the nation will parade themselves in costumes such as witches, warlocks, ghosts, goblins, ghouls, demons, devils and characters of the night; some will wear masks of Freddy Kruegar, Michael Myers of Halloween and Jason of Friday the 13th. It will be a time when children will rouse through the neighborhood knocking on doors and, when they are answered, they will scream, “trick or treat!”
This phrase will get them candy and other items that are good to the mouth; a night for fun and treats for children.
Some may say that there is no harm in it, that it is just a children’s holiday. But let me say that that’s exactly what Satan wants us to think. See, because he is the master deceiver, he uses many disguises … the great deceiver, the devil, wants us to promote the Boogey Man. He wants to instill this fear into our children so that they can’t go to sleep at night thinking that the Boogey Man is under their bed; he wants them afraid of the dark, screaming and hollering at night and having nightmares. He wants them seeing monsters in the closet, hearing noises throughout the house.
What we deem as fun and traditional, the devil uses to plant seeds in the heart and mind of our children. It’s called the “Trick of the Treat!” Remember, that deception is the name of his game. And whatever we do attaches itself to us.
For example, the music industry … some of the stuff they are putting out now on CDs is so derogatory; it degrades women and uses language that is not found in our Sunday School books! It’s vulgar and not the kind of music you would want your mother to listen to. And when it flows through the headphones and stereo systems into our children’s minds it attaches to the brain and they start to act out what they hear.
Let me prove this to you. How many times have we been in a store or restaurant and they are playing music; if you stay there long enough you find that music still playing in your mind long after you have left the store. Sometimes you might find yourself singing it unaware! It attaches itself to us.
What we deem as fun and traditional, the devil will use to his advantage.
But now if we want to talk about a TRICK, let me tell us about a trick — a trick is when people will “dress OUT” to go “trick or treating,” but won’t “dress UP” to go to church. It is a devil’s trick when some people will do a “face” makeover to go out on Halloween but won’t let God give them a “heart” makeover to go to heaven!
It’s a trick, I tell you, when some people will dress their children up in costumes and take them all over the neighborhood “trick or treating,” but won’t dress them up in church clothes and bring them to Sunday School. Church, it’s a trick, a devil’s trick, when Christian believers will go door to door one night of the year talking about Halloween, but won’t go door to door telling the lost about our savior.
Church, the devil is playing “tricks,” but as far as Hallow-een is concerned, if we want to hallow something, then hallowed be HIS holy name. It is a TRICK and not a treat! The Apostle Paul tells the Ephesian church “to be followers of God, as little children (Eph. 5:8-11).”
See, our salvation didn’t come cheap! In fact, God gave heaven’s best just for us! The saints are children of light; we are no longer “night” creatures; we are “light” creatures, and “we are to have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness (vs 11).”
Which primarily deals with sin, but the principle is still the same. We no longer belong to the world of darkness. Community, let’s lift up the savior. He is no trick, He is the real thing.
The Rev. George Ellis is the pastor for Union Grove Missionary Baptist Church.