Christians, This Is
Our Night
John Piper
Halloween
is not too haunted for true saints. This is no night for God’s “holy ones” to
run and hide, but rise up and revel in the power of our sovereign Christ.
This
is not the devil’s day, but ours. No concessions, no treaties, no retreat. No
call to fear, but an invitation to feast.
Originally
“All Hallows’ Eve” may have been an annual commemoration of the seemingly
super-holy, the Roman “saints” (Latin hallows, “holy ones”).
But
under God’s kind providence, a monk named Martin came to our rescue when he
went trick-or-treating on October 31, 1517, at the church door in Wittenberg.
Eventually
Luther labored with a horde of others to liberate God’s people from a host of
medieval misconceptions — including the assumption that only some, not all, of
Christ’s people are “saints” (Romans 1:7; 1 Corinthians 1:2; and 2
Corinthians 1:1).
Claiming
All Hallows’ Eve truly belongs to believers does not mean we celebrate death or
darkness. Far from it.
We
celebrate our Savior’s victory over death and over everything
demonic. We mark Christ’s triumph, through death, over sin and Satan. “Through death he . . . destroy[ed] the one
who has the power of death, that is, the devil” (Hebrews 2:14).
“Halloween is not the devil’s day, but ours.”
As
Christians, with open Bibles, we have a theology tall enough and thick enough
for every ounce of Halloween, and every other day of
the year.
This
is not a night to moan and fret, but to rejoice with confident smiles and
treats in hand. And with open ears because the harvest is ripe
for rehearsing precious truths — or teaching them for the first time — about
the undaunted dominion of Christ and what it means for us as his people.
So,
Christian neighbors, join me in leading our homes and churches out of fear and
into joy. The harvest is great, and Halloween is a striking foil — for teaching
our kids, and reminding ourselves — of who we are in Christ.
1. We Are a Victorious People
Start with Jesus and His
victory. All things were created in Him, through Him, and for Him — “in heaven and on earth, visible and
invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities” (Colossians 1:16).
And at the cross, God “disarmed the rulers and authorities and put
them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him” (Colossians 2:15).
Jesus reigns supreme over
Satan and every demon, both by creation and by the cross. He commands unclean
spirits and they obey him (Mark 1:27).
He is Lord even over the
mental movements of Satan’s minions (Revelation 17:17).
First we marvel at our
Champion, and then that he would have us join him in his great victory. Not
only did he crush Satan’s skull at Golgotha, but he makes us a victorious
people, to stomp with him. We put our own feet on the skull. “The God of peace will soon crush Satan
under your feet” (Romans 16:20).
“Christians with open Bibles have a theology tall enough
and thick enough for every ounce of Halloween.”
To be a Christian
emphatically does not mean that we don’t suffer, face persecution, or even find
ourselves to be the objects of demonic attack in this life. But it does mean we
will win, not in our own strength, but in the power of God’s Spirit (Revelation 3:21).
The decisive battle has
been won. The final match is just a matter of time.
We are a victorious people
in the world’s single most important war and party with the apostle Paul,
“Death is swallowed up in victory.” “O death, where is
your victory? O death, where is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the
power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through
our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 15:54-57)
2. We Are a Courageous People
Because
we know victory is assuredly ours in Christ, we can be of good courage. Not
only has our Sovereign dealt Satan the deathblow, but he does not leave us to
fight alone. He promises to be with us (Matthew 18:20).
He
says to his covenant people, “Take heart;
I have overcome
the world” (John 16:33).
Because Jesus has won, and
is with us, we don’t flee from the devil, but take Christ up on his promise. “Resist the devil, and he will flee from
you” (James
4:7).
We know that “he who is in you is greater than he who is
in the world” (1 John 4:4), and so we boldly defy our adversary on
precisely the night when he would most like for us to cower and take cover.
The devil may rage, his
lackeys may plot, but “he who sits in the
heavens laughs” (Psalm 2:1, 4), and invites us to smile confidently with Him.
3. We Are a People on Mission
In
Christ, we are not a cloistered, cowering people, perpetually on the defensive.
Jesus gives us a mission: “Make disciples
of all nations” (Matthew 28:19).
We are no longer of this
world, but sent into this world, with the backing of the King’s boundless
authority (Matthew
28:18), on
history’s great offensive, thrashing joyfully against the darkness.
As Jesus prayed to his
Father about his saints, “I do not ask
that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one.
They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the
truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them
into the world.” (John 17:15-18)
“Let’s boldly defy our adversary on precisely the night
when he would most like for us to cower.”
Our great high priest
doesn’t pray for our removal from the world, but for our reaching of it —
rescuing fellow sinners from “the god of
this world [who] has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from
seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ” (2 Corinthians 4:4).
Our mission is to free our
captive neighbors and coworkers, family and friends, who are “following the course of this world,
following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in
the sons of disobedience” (Ephesians 2:2).
We pray with Paul “that words may be given to me in opening my
mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel . . . that I may declare it
boldly, as I ought to speak” (Ephesians 6:19-20).
4. We Are an Intentional People
But
being on mission doesn’t mean being naïve but precisely the opposite. The
commission calls us to intentionality and vigilance for the sake of the cause. “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your
adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to
devour” (1
Peter 5:8).
God has given us a manual
for war, “so that we would not be
outwitted by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his designs” (2 Corinthians 2:11).
And in all our care and
consciousness, we lean against the backstop of Christ’s pledge: “I will build my church, and the gates of
hell shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18).
We buy candy, turn on porch
lights, make apple cider, and bring the warmth of a happy face into an
otherwise cold night because we know he has promised “this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole
world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come” (Matthew 24:14).
5. We Are a Generous People
Finally,
by being Jesus’ people, we are becoming increasingly a generous people. He
fills our hearts and opens our hands. Even on this night, we “remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how
he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive’” (Acts 20:35).
We have resolved to make
the sacrifice to give “not reluctantly or
under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9:7).
Mark this: unbelieving
humans are not our enemies. The devil and his demons are the foe. “We do not wrestle against flesh and
blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic
powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the
heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12).
“Chase away the darkness by turning on our porch lights
and giving out the best of treats.”
We
look upon the nastiest costumes and vilest of revelers with the mind and heart
of Christ. “When he saw the crowds, he
had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep
without a shepherd” (Matthew 9:36).
And we
chase away the darkness by turning on our porch lights and giving out the best
of treats, not the stingiest.
Jesus
came to destroy Satan, all his works, and all his ways (1 John 3:8).
He has
delivered “all those who through fear of
death were subject to lifelong slavery” (Hebrews 2:15).
Be
strong in him and in the strength of his might (Ephesians 6:10).
And on
this All Hallows’ Eve, take your stand against the schemes of the devil (Ephesians
6:11).
After
all, this is our night.
In
this spiritual war, there are no fence-sitters – you are either with the Lords’
victorious army or with the wicked “Powers” of Satan.
Ensure
you’re enlistment on the victorious army of the Lord. Settle that sin issue right now by saying
this prayer:
“Father God, I confess I am a sinner and my sins have separated me from You.
I am truly sorry. I now want to
turn away from my past sinful life and live a new life pleasing to You.
Please forgive me, and help me avoid sinning again.
I believe that Your son, Jesus Christ died for my sins, was resurrected
from the dead, is alive, and hears my prayer.
I invite Jesus to become the Lord of my life, to rule and reign in my
heart from this day forward. I promise to study Your Word – the Bible.
Please send Your Holy Spirit to help me obey You, and to do Your will for
the rest of my life. Thank You, Lord, that according to Your Word, I am born
again.
Use me for Your glory.
In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.”
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"Shine, Jesus, Shine"
GRAHAM KENDRICK
lyrics
Lord the
light of Your love is shining
In the midst of the darkness, shining
Jesus, Light the world, shine upon us
Set us free by the truth You now bring us
Shine on me
Shine on me
Jesus, Light the world, shine upon us
Set us free by the truth You now bring us
Shine on me
Shine on me
Shine,
Jesus, shine
Fill this land with the Father's glory
Blaze, Spirit, blaze, Set our hearts on fire
Flow, river, flow
Flood the nations with grace and mercy
Send forth Your Word, Lord And let there be light
Fill this land with the Father's glory
Blaze, Spirit, blaze, Set our hearts on fire
Flow, river, flow
Flood the nations with grace and mercy
Send forth Your Word, Lord And let there be light
Lord, I
come into Your awesome presence
From the shadows into Your radiance
By the blood I may enter Your brightness
Search me, try me, consume all my darkness
Shine on me
Shine on me
From the shadows into Your radiance
By the blood I may enter Your brightness
Search me, try me, consume all my darkness
Shine on me
Shine on me
Shine,
Jesus, shine
Fill this land with the Father's glory
Blaze, Spirit, blaze, Set our hearts on fire
Flow, river, flow
Flood the nations with grace and mercy
Send forth Your Word, Lord And let there be light
Shine, Jesus, shine
Fill this land with the Father's glory
Blaze, Spirit, blaze, Set our hearts on fire
Flow, river, flow
Flood the nations with grace and mercy
Send forth Your Word, Lord And let there be light
Fill this land with the Father's glory
Blaze, Spirit, blaze, Set our hearts on fire
Flow, river, flow
Flood the nations with grace and mercy
Send forth Your Word, Lord And let there be light
Shine, Jesus, shine
Fill this land with the Father's glory
Blaze, Spirit, blaze, Set our hearts on fire
Flow, river, flow
Flood the nations with grace and mercy
Send forth Your Word, Lord And let there be light
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