Abounding Grace

Larry: Today on Abounding Grace, here what the Bible has to say about witchcraft and the demonic realm.

Pastor Ed Taylor: Now, witches and mediums are real. They're not fake. The demonic realm is real. And I don't believe mediums can call up the dead. I think it's all trickery and, you know, manipulation and, you know, suggestion. If you listen to these guys or these gals when they're doing things, I I I don't have cable anymore, but I don't know how I I um I was flipping through I don't know how even how I found it. I don't even have cable. What she doing on my TV? I don't even know. But it's this Long Island something. And she is really good with leading someone to say what she can then turn back.

And you know, I'm I feel I'm just getting a color blue. Does blue mean anything to you? No, blue doesn't mean anything, but pink does. Yeah, it was pink. It was pink. It was pink and and uh you know, and and it's just like, are you kidding me?

Larry: Well, maybe you've noticed there is a fascination with the dark side in our world today. Many are dabbling in the demonic realm, thinking it's no big deal. But the truth is it is a big deal and we are not to mess with it. Today on Abounding Grace, we'll notice that King Saul goes to a witch for wisdom. And Pastor Ed Taylor will encourage us to learn from his mistake. We'll be in 1 Samuel 28 starting with verse 7.

Pastor Ed Taylor: In verse 7. Then Saul said to his servants, find me a woman who's a medium. Now, if you like to write in your Bibles, here's what you could write here. Saul said to his servants, find me a witch. And I don't that's not a word like a derogatory term for for someone. This is a literal find me a witch and a broom and everything. Find me a witch. That's who's going to help me. God's not speaking to me. So, find me a witch. Wait a minute, Saul, didn't you put them all out? Tells us something about Saul's character, doesn't it?

We'll get to that in a second. Let that kind of marinate in your mind for a moment. Find me a medium that I can go to her and inquire of her. And his servant said to him, in fact, there is a woman who's a medium at Endor. So, Saul disguised himself, put on other clothes, and he went he and two other men with him and they came to the woman by night and he said, please conduct a seance for me and bring up for me the one I shall name to you. Then the woman said to him, look, you know what Saul has done, how he's cut off the mediums and the spiritists from the land.

And then you do you lay a snare for my life to cause me to die? And Saul swore to her, by the Lord, saying as the Lord lives, no punishment shall come upon you for this thing. Yep, this is the same Saul that put out this mediums and spiritists is now looking for one that he knows they're still around. He knows that his his his command was not fully followed. And so for those of you that were holding out hope for Saul or thought in my teaching I was coming to the wrong conclusion every week, now you know.

He's rotten. Doesn't matter what it looks like on the outside. He's rotten. And people that are rotten, eventually their true colors show. It might take a year. It might take two years. It might take five years. It might take 10 years. But unless there's true change, one or the other, what it looks shiny and polished and pretty and so attractive on the outside, what's rotten on the inside is going to come out. Cuz there's going to come a time, like in all of our lives, when we're faced with the greatest trial and the greatest battle of our life that will reveal our true condition.

And that 's where Saul is right here. Here's the condition. This is the kind of man that he is. Hey everybody, get rid of the witches. Hey, I know we didn't get rid of them all. Find me one. And then when he meets her and she says, you know what King Saul's done? Oh, he disguises himself by the way. He doesn't go as King Saul. Who knows how he dressed? He comes to this witch. And she says, man, I'm not I'm not putting my neck on the line. We're supposed to be gone. I know I'm not supposed to be here.

I'm not revealing myself. Oh no, I'm going to swear on the Lord's name that you're going to be fine. It's just so far. The law of Moses condemned witchcraft. Then and now it's a eternal moral commandment of God. It's not a time it's not a time covenant when the old covenant witchcraft is forbidden by God. Exodus chapter 22 verse 18 says, you shall not permit a sorceress to live. Leviticus chapter 19 verse 31 says, give no regard to mediums and familiar spirits. Do not seek after them. Don't be defiled by them. I am the Lord your God.

So, in verse 8, the night before the battle, Saul disguises himself, takes the 10-mile journey to Endor to talk to the psychic. And the phrase at night is interesting. Did you notice that in verse 8? Saul disguised and put on other clothes and he went by night. Did that that phrase jumped off the page of me? I don't know if it did for you because it reminded me of a time in the life of Jesus when somebody came to him by night. Do you remember who it was? Nicodemus. Nicodemus came to him by night. So, we see a great contrast of people in the scriptures between King Saul and Nicodemus.

King Saul in his time of crisis went to a place of disobedience to the witch of Endor by night. But Nicodemus, he comes to Jesus by night. So, here's the question because you know a lot of junk happens at night. You you speak to policemen, you speak to those in the hospital. A lot of things happen at night. All, you know, most of the bad things happen in the dark. A lot of sin happens it just there's this illusion that at dark everything's going to be fine. Nobody knows anything. It's just most of the things happen at night.

So, here's the question. In those night seasons, where will you go? What's your choice? In the covering of night, will you find yourself in a place of seeking out the things of the Lord or will you find yourself in a place of seeking out things that are not going to lead you to anything good? You have a contrast and so do I here. Saul's choice was for a witch, a seance. But the woman's no dummy. She wanted to make sure it wasn't a trap. Verse 11. Then the woman said, whom shall I bring up for you?

And he said, bring up Samuel for me. When the woman saw Samuel, she cried out with a loud voice and the woman spoke to Saul saying, why have you deceived me? For you are Saul. And the king said to her, do not be afraid. What did you see? And the woman said to Saul, I saw a spirit ascending out of the earth. And so he said to her, what is this form? And she said, an old man's coming up and he is covered with a mantle. And Saul perceived that it was Samuel and he stooped with his face to the ground and bowed down.

So Saul, how far will you go from the Lord? Is that a question to some of you today? How far will you go from the Lord? How long will you continue on this path? God is not speaking to you and instead of repenting before him and confessing your need of him and turning away your sin to him, you go to a psychic or to a medium or to some sinful you know, just you go to yourself and your own wisdom or you go to your parents and and they approve of your they somehow approve of your bad behavior so they become a covering to so you can just really trust in them or you go to a friend that's compromising.

I mean, how far will you go from the Lord? And although Saul will hear the truth from Samuel here rather than the lie of a demon, how better it would have been if he had simply humbled himself before the Lord. God's intervening so much in his life, overruling him for the sake of the people. And don't think of God intervening as permission or, you know, validation for us to go our own way cuz God's thinking of the people of Israel. Remember the battle. You see when leaders make and I say this all the time as we're serving and and we're I'm talking to the pastors here and the leaders here, I say this all the time.

If we decide to go do our own thing, we decide to turn our back on the Lord or compromise, it's you guys are going to suffer. I always want you to be on my mind and in my face. I want to remember you. I mean, I think of it of course it starts with my home. My poor wife will suffer by my sin. My children will suffer. My family name will suffer. The people that have looked to me, my friends will suffer. My church family. You're going to pay the price. I'm going to pay a price, but you're going to pay the price.

You know, when leaders make decisions like King Saul here, if God didn't intervene, the children of Israel, the nation of Israel will be wiped out or it's severely hurt because of the sin of Saul. God's being so gracious to to intervene because he loves the people. He loves his church. He loves the people that he loves humanity. I mean, he sent his own son Jesus Christ to die for those that were in rebellion against him. But you got to understand your your life may not affect, you know, the entire church, but it does. You go what you know, I'm just I'm new to the church my second week and what is my sin?

You know, your sin defiles the church. It defiles this church and if you decide I don't like you guys, I'm going to go to that church. Well, you're just going to take your dirty self with you. And you're going to defile that church. Well, I don't like church anymore. I'm just going to have church in my house. Well, it's going to be one dirty church. It's just you, yourself and I. I mean, that's not good. You know, when one part of the body suffers, we all suffer. When you when you you have a significant effect upon the body.

Now, of course, different people have different effects, but listen, God is intervening because he's very gracious and he loves people. And so remember that you faced with whatever decisions you have to face. It's the people that closest to you they're going to pay the price for your sin. You're not an island under yourself. You can't just decide, well, I'm going to do my own thing and you know, because we have we live in a society with the philosophy, well, you know, I'm not hurting anybody. That's because you haven't talked to the people you're hurting. What do you mean you're not hurting anyone?

Well, it's just between me and I could do whatever I Yeah, but your life is interconnected. It's not just you. You matter. You're important. You have a family. You have neighbors. Well, you know, it's just between it's just me. I'm not hurting anybody. I'm the only one going to jail. Yeah, but your neighbors have to be up every night the cops are showing up. And they're waking up. They got to go to work and so now they can't go to sleep. They go to work. They fall asleep on the job. They lose their hand cuz it went in the machinery because you had the cops called.

Like you don't know that? You don't know that? We have on many occasions ministered to the parents of adult kids that have been thrown in jail. Not too long ago, sweet mom. I haven't seen her in a while, but I I had a sense she'd be back because we had received word that her that her son is in trouble again as he has been on many occasions and we've been ministering to him and loving on him and it's just been a pattern in his life. You go through those seasons of just great fruitfulness and then man, it just gets worse every single time and so we had received the word again that he's back in jail and and it's a serious situation and and you know, I don't know what he sees, but we have, you know, his mom in tears.

Again. And and then when his mom is in tears, then whoever sees her starts being broken hearted and like your life matters. If you're a spiritual leader, you're a pastor listening in right now, listen if for the very simple fact that your life affects your own church, stay right with the Lord. Stay humble, broken and reusable. Those of you that are parents, your decisions affect your kids. Don't be deceived. Don't think it's going to be fine. Don't think, oh, it's not going to be that big a deal because you know what happened to me and I turned out well.

Your kids are not you. And you forgot how hard it was on your dad when mom left. And you must have forgotten how hard it was on your mom when your dad left or all the intricacies that we could describe. Things are going to change with you because you have a walk with the Lord. And even in those times when you can't hear from heaven, that's not permission to go seeking after the witches. It's just a reminder that life you need to get right with the Lord. He'll speak because we can find just as many promises where you could call on me and I will answer when you call.

That anything you ask in my name I will give you, but you have to be in his name. That's not just some some mantra, you know, I'll just say I I want a million dollars in Jesus's name. You know, that's created a whole new false teaching in the church today. No no, when you're in his name, you're in him. And you'll begin asking things that he inspires in your heart, not for yourself. Saul is a warning here. How far will you go from the Lord before it's too late? And Saul's going to hear the truth, but he could have repented and heard anyways, not have to go this way.

Verse 15. Saul Samuel said to Saul, why have you disturbed me by bringing me up? And Saul answered, I'm deeply distressed for the Philistines make war against me and God has departed from me and does not answer me anymore, neither by prophets nor by dreams. Therefore, I've called you and you may reveal to me what I should do. And Samuel said, well, why then do you ask me seeing the Lord has departed from you and has become your enemy? And the Lord has done for himself as he spoke by me, for the Lord has torn the kingdom out of your hand and given it to your neighbor, namely David.

None of this is new to him. He already knew this. Because you did not obey the voice of the Lord nor execute his fear fierce wrath upon Amalek. Therefore, the Lord has done this thing to you this day. Moreover, the Lord will also deliver Israel with you into the hand of the Philistines and tomorrow you and your sons will be with me. The Lord will also deliver the army of Israel into the hand of the Philistines. You're going to die. And your kids. Your life matters, Saul. And your disobedience is going to hurt the nation and you're going to lose your life and so your kids.

What should I do, Samuel? And Samuel's answer was very simple. You'll be caught. It's over. You and your sons are going to die. Now, this is one of the most popular Bible difficulty questions that comes up. Well, anytime around March of the year because that's when people read through the Bible and they get to about 1 Samuel go, wait wait a minute. What's going on here? Saul went to a witch and he called she called up Samuel and wait a minute. What's going on? And here's the question. How could God allow the witch of Endor to raise Samuel from the dead when witchcraft is strictly forbidden in the scriptures?

That's usually how the question how what is this? What is this all about? Well, let me give you some options. Number one. Some believe the witch actually did bring Samuel back from the dead and they'll cite passages indicating that demons have the power to perform miracles. But the objections to this view include the fact that death is final, debt the debt cannot return and because there's a great gulf fixed by God and the demons cannot usurp God's authority over life and death. So, some believe that the witch herself had the power to bring Samuel back from the dead.

Secondly, another option is some believe that the witch faked it, that this was just uh trickery by this particular woman. And the support by this is the reference how demons can deceive people as they try to contact the dead and by the contention that demons sometimes will utter what is true. But the objections say that the fact that this passage seems to say like verse 15, Samuel said. And so just by the fact of the scripture, um this was obviously Samuel. So, number one, a witch did it. Number two, it was a fakery. But the third option and this is the one I side with is that is the witch didn't do it at all.

But God himself intervened and used Samuel, who isn't really dead. He's alive. He just translated out of his body. Remember he's God is the God of the living, not the dead. So God, he oversees all those that have translated from this life to the next, right? Absent from the body for believers is what? Present with the Lord. So, the third view is this. The witch didn't do it at all, but God himself intervened and rebuked Saul through Samuel. The witch didn't do it and here are the background. You might need to get the the study offline to to um jot these all down, but listen.

Number one, Samuel seemed to actually return from the dead. We see that. Number two, neither humans nor demons have the power to bring people back from the dead. Only God has power over life and death. Thirdly, the witch herself seemed to be surprised by the appearance of Samuel from the dead. If you notice in verse two, when Samuel when woman saw Samuel, she cried out. She freaked out. So, she's tripping out on this. Well, it's like, wow, everything she's faked her whole life, God's showing her putting her in her place as well. You got to love God.

He's he's got a tremendous sense of humor. Do you have somebody in your life that makes you laugh all the time? God gave that to them cuz he likes to make us laugh too and just trip out on things like, wow. So, fourthly, there's a direct condemnation of witchcraft in this passage, right? In verse nine. Even the woman knows that there is a life sentence on mediums and spiritists. Also, fifthly, God sometimes speak in unsuspecting places. God can do a lot of different things. Remember God spoke through Balaam through his donkey. God spoke to Balaam through his donkey.

Also, the Bible says that God can speak through stones if he wants to. Next, the miracle was not performed through the witch, but in spite of her. And Samuel actually really appears from the dead, rebukes Saul and utters a true prophecy. There is this is happening in Old Testament, but we'll see in the New Testament when Jesus is up on the Mount of Transfiguration, we also have those that are still alive appearing with him, Moses being one of them. So, what's God doing here? But the pattern of this chapter. Now, I titled this message Saul goes to a witch for wisdom or something like that, but I could also have titled this message God intervenes.

God intervenes and that's what he's doing here. Sending Samuel, dispatching Samuel to Saul. I think if Saul would have been seeking Samuel out in the wilderness, God could have sent Samuel to him with a message. And I want to give special thanks to Norm Geisler because this is an article from the book When Critics Ask. And that's a great It's not in print anymore, but you can get one used. Uh it's one of the best Bible difficulty books that's out there. I use it all the time. So, I was taking that directly from one of the articles that he wrote.

Now, witches and mediums are real. They're not fake. The demonic realm is real. And I don't believe mediums can call up the dead. I think it 's all trickery and, you know, manipulation and, you know, suggestion. If you listen to these guys or these gals when they're doing things, I I I don't have cable anymore, but I don't know how I I um I was flipping through. I don't even know how I even found it. I don't even have cable. What she doing on my TV? I don't even know. But it's this Long Island something.

What? I don't even know what to say. Just absolute I'm not going to say it. Just I am going to say it's stupid. It's stupid. And she is really good with leading someone to save what she can then turn back. And you know, I'm I feel I'm just getting a color blue. Does blue mean anything to you? No, blue doesn't mean anything, but pink does. Yeah, it was pink. It was pink. It was pink and and you know, and and it's just like, are you kidding me? It's nonsense. And yet I also believe that someone like her is dabbling in the demonic realm, that the things she's seeing are demonic, that that she's dealing with demons.

Demons can even make themselves Oh, there's a beautiful angel. Well, the Bible says demons can make themselves angels of light. And it's just all manipulation, even moving through the demonic realm and and and I believe it's all real. Don't mess with it. Don't call her up. Don't go on her show. You know, if Oprah says, come on, we're going to find your past. Listen. Listen. Don't do it. You don't need you don't need my opinion. The Bible says stay away from it.

Larry: You're listening to Pastor Ed Taylor on Abounding Grace. And Pastor Ed a question comes to mind springing from this study in 1 Samuel 28. Now, we learned today that witchcraft is clearly forbidden by God. As you know, Halloween coming up this Saturday and the dark side is very often celebrated and dabbled with. So, should we as Christians be careful and prayerful when it comes to their participation and maybe have some guardrails if they do?

Pastor Ed Taylor: Uh for sure, Larry. It's such a controversial time. We don't want to be involved in uh things that are contrary to the to the clarity and the light of the gospel. And Halloween is one of those things. I mean, is it possible to dress up and and take candy? For sure. Can it get really odd and weird? For sure. And so you you hit it on the head with the question. We should be prayerful and careful entering into any of these holidays or any of the celebrations uh and be extremely cautious uh on those things that might taint us or stain us that we might just follow the Lord as close as we can.

I and you know, Halloween's one of those times. Uh I love the churches do all these alternative things. Uh those are always wonderful where you can gather you know, the world's not the only one that can have fun. And Christians can have fun even without doing all the evil stuff for sure. So, be prayerful, be careful, follow the Lord in the conviction of the Holy Spirit and you'll just be just fine.

Larry: Thanks, Pastor Ed. Good counsel there. Here in the month of October, we picked out an excellent book written by Jim Symbula titled Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire. If your desire is to live at the center of God's will and purposes, this excellent book will point the way to spiritual vitality not only in the church, but in your own life. Now, I know you'll be encouraged as you read of how God moves in life changing ways. And we'll send you a copy with our thanks for a gift of $25 or more to Abounding Grace. Please remember it's through your financial support that we're able to come to you day by day on this station and others like it.

Your gift, whatever the size, would be greatly appreciated and put to good use. Request your book today by calling us toll free at 877-30 Grace. 877-30 Grace. You can also order the book online at calvaryco.store. And if you'd rather not have the book, but still want to make a donation, that can be done rather easily at aboundinggraceradio.com. We'd like to hear from you before the day is done. Say hello. Tell us what God is up to in your life when you visit aboundinggraceradio.com. Then click on contact us. Don't miss our next study in 1 Samuel with Pastor Ed next time on Abounding Grace.

And may God richly bless you with his Abounding Grace.

Pastor Ed Taylor: This is amazing grace. This is unfailing love. That you would take my place. Then you would bear my cross. You laid down your life that I would be set free. Oh, Jesus I sing for all that you've done for me.

Larry: Abounding Grace is brought to you by Calvary Church, Colorado here in Aurora.