The Original Ghost-Buster Series

The Original Ghostbuster

November 5, 2006

(Show Ghost-buster Video Clip)

In case you didn’t recognize it, that was a scene from “Ghost-busters”, a comedy that came out about 20 years ago, but it’s still amazingly well-known today! It’s a story about 3 odd ball scientists who after getting kicked out of their cushy University jobs, decide to start their own business trapping ghosts. Things pick up when their 1st real customer is possessed by demons and channels an ancient Sumerian God named “Gozer the Gozerian” who threatens to destroy the city. The Ghostbusters are called on to save N.Y. Dan Akkroyd plays one of the professors, wrote the script, and in real life is fascinated with the paranormal. I wouldn’t necessarily recommend the movie, but it does bring up a lot of (what I think) are misconceptions about ‘ghosts, spirits and the paranormal”. I want to deal with a number of those misconceptions this morning, but 1st I was sent some cute cartoons I wanted to share with you … (Show cartoons).

According to Webster’s Dictionary, a “Ghost” is “the soul of a dead person believed to be an inhabitant of the unseen world or to appear to the living in bodily likeness.” Most people believe that ghosts are the spirits of the living dead, and over 40% of American adults claim to have been in contact with someone who’s died. Of these, 78% claim that they saw a ghost, 50% heard one, and 18% claim to have actually talked with them. No wonder we’re encouraged to “Call Ghost-busters!” But what are ghosts, really? That’s an important question, because their nature tells us how we should respond to them. If we identify them wrongly, we could be in a lot of trouble. For example, when you’re on the beach, and you see fins 20 ft. out

It’s important whether those fins are connected to a dolphin or a shark! If you wrongly identify the fin, could prove fatal. And the same is true with ghosts or spirits.

People who try and make contact with ‘ghosts’ and the ‘dearly departed’ are called ‘channelers’. These people willingly give their minds and bodies to spirit beings. When spirits use the mouth and speak out information, it’s called ‘channeling’. According to the spirits that speak through ‘channelers’ they tell us that, because they’re older, because they’re more evolved…they have information that will help us. Some spirits claim to be extraterrestrials from Mars or Venus, others claim to be gods from ancient cultures. Some say that they’re famous people from the past (kings, queens, warriors).

But according to the bible…they’re not any of those things! Ghosts aren’t the spirits of the living dead, and they’re not extra-terrestrials…in reality, they are… DEMONS! People say, “Why would God create the devil and demons?” The truth is, He didn’t! They didn’t start out that way… they BECAME that way! According to the bible, in Ezek.28:12 & Isa.14:12 before time began, Lucifer was an Arch-Angel. One of the few angels that have direct access to the throne of God. He was God’s anointed, model of perfection, the epitome of His creativity. He was beautiful beyond comprehension. Ezek.28:13 tells us that ‘every precious stone adorned him’… He was the original ‘Rhinestone Cowboy’ (another 80’s movie)… He made ‘Liberace’ look like a bum! But then He got the ‘BIG HEAD’. He engineered a hostile take-over, trying to overthrow God.

In Isa.14:13,14 we find five ‘I Will’s’… of Satan’s downfall…

1. I WILL… “ascend to heaven”

2. I WILL… “raise my throne above God”

3. I WILL… “sit enthroned”

4. I WILL… “ascend above the tops of the clouds”

(And here’s the one that really got him in trouble…)

5. I WILL… “make myself like the Most High”.

Lucifer’s so-called ‘uprising’, never had a chance… The bible says that ‘pride goes before a fall’… and Satan found that out the hard way. He was smashed before He knew what hit him! Stripped of his title & position… he & 1/3 of his co-conspirator angels were cast out of heaven to earth. The bible calls them by different names… ‘demons, ‘demonic spirits’, ‘deceiving spirits’, ‘evil spirits’. If you think about it, it still works that way… Originally, man was created in God’s image, and ever since then, we’ve been trying to return the favor! We’ve been trying to make God in OUR image! We begin to think we’re in charge… and before long, we repeat the same fateful words to ourselves… “I WILL!”

· “I’m going to do this… or I’m going to achieve that!

· I’m going to have it MY way, who cares what God thinks! I’ll do as I please and become my own God!”

But it’s not long before our pride takes us down too! I’ve found that when I want people to notice me, God usually says, “Okay…be my guest!” But what they remember is usually something I wish they’d forget! So now the Devil, Satan has set up operations here on earth… In John 12:31 (and other places) Jesus calls him “the prince of this world” Believe me, DEMONS ARE REAL! I’ve had to deal with them a number of times and it’s not fun and it’s not exciting! (Story of Sabrina and the cats)