This sermon was given by Dick Wutke while still activly teaching at our SDA academy here in Mich.

Dick Wuttke gave his life to teaching academy students, and just retired from Cedarlake Academy.
Here is a sermon he gave a few months ago on music. It is a little long but well worth your reading.
Friend John Thurber

God's Angels are here today, and I also know that evil angels of darkness are here. They are in a great controversy and the battle is very fierce. And this morning as I stand before you, I sense a need of strength. Not just physical strength but spiritual strength. So I want you to pray with me, that the Holy Spirit will be here to touch your minds, and your hearts to be open to what the Spirit has to say.

As I speak this morning, and as I teach my students there seems to be welling up in my mind a constant urgency that Jesus is coming very soon. Something the Adventist believe, the whole world is sensing something is about to happen. Something spectacular is about to happen, and you and I as students of the Bible begin to have some insights other people do not have. We look at the signs of the times that are taking place. We look at all the appearances or aberrations of Mary and all the forecasts she is saying, even though we know she is sleeping in her grave. We hear of churches unifying and putting away their doctrines in scripture so they can be unified. We see the beast being wondered at by the whole world. We see religious freedom being eroded. We see economic problems just hanging there from a spiders nest.
We see all kinds of natural disasters taking place, and certainly this should tell us something, shouldn't it.
In fact I would love to have you open your Bibles if you have them with you this morning to 1 Thes. chapter 5.
You know I'm used to a big wide desk with all kinds of space so I feel so hampered this morning with such a little space to place my things on.
1 Thes. chapter 5 starting with verse 1 "But of the times and seasons brethren, (thats you and me) Ye have no need that I write unto you for you yourself know perfectly that the day of the Lord cometh as a thief in the night, for when they shall say peace and safety then sudden destruction cometh upon them as travail upon a woman (that's pretty sudden) and they shall not escape. {but this is the part I want you to notice} but ye brethren are not in darkness. You're not in darkness that the day should over take you as a thief, ye are all children of the light, and the children of the day, we are not of the night, nor of darkness."
Here's another text I would like to share with you. You know Jesus has sent to you his prophets, they have talked a lot to you about darkness and light.
The second one is in 2 Cor. chapter 6. You're acquainted with the first part of verse 14 because you have heard this a lot, but I want to read on a few verses with you so that you can understand what Paul is talking about here. "But be ye not unequally yoked with unbelievers; for what fellowship have righteousness with unrighteousness, and what communion hath light with darkness, and what concord hath Christ with Balial, or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel, and what agreement hath the temple of God with idols. For ye are the temple of the living God. As God has said, I will dwell with them and walk with them and I will be their God and they shall be my people."
Isn't that amazing?
Look at the next verse. "Wherefor come out from among them and be separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing. And I will receive you and be a father unto you. Ye shall be my sons and daughters saith the Lord Almighty."
What a precious promise.
Look at the controversy between light and darkness there, and God calls us to be children of the light, not children of the darkness.
Several other texts I'm just going to read them quickly. Ep. 5:8,10,11 Paul says walk as children of the light and have no fellowship with the unfruitfulness of darkness. Rather reprove them.
Romans 13:12 he says the night is far spent, we know it is don't we, we're almost there. The day is at hand let us therefore cast of the works off darkness, and let us put on the armor of light.
Then Peter says you're a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; therefore that ye should show forth the praises of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. 1Peter 2:9 And then in John 12 John says He that walketh in darkness knows not where he goeth. As Christians, you and I have some real choices to make.
We live in a world full of Satan's influence, we live in a world that has darkness, darkness that would love to separate us from Jesus Christ.
One of the problems that you and I face is how can we tell if it is darkness or if it is light?
That's the issue.
As children of the light we must be able to distinguish and determine the difference between light and darkness.
How can we tell? Well, there are two ways that I want to use this morning to look at some things with you.
One is this; where did it originate?
Did it originate with God, That's the source of light? Or did it originate with the devil that's the source of darkness.
The second point we want to look at very carefully is: what is the purpose of the thing we are going to look at? What are the results? Jesus put it this way. By their fruits ye shall know them.
In the light of what we have read this morning, I'd like you to look with me at one of the challenges we as Christians face today; and that's rock music.
Listen to what the Holy Spirit wants to share with you this morning. Rock music is not the up and coming thing right now. It is being replaced with Hip, Hop.
We are going to talk about rock music this morning. I would like to look with you to the origin of rock music.
The origin is going to tell us if it is from God or from Satan.
From the research I've been able to do, and I started my research in 1962. What I am sharing with you is something that is not new to me, but the specific details that I am sharing this morning are new within the last two months.
Rock music has it's roots in Africa. Nurtured in Tahomy, West Africa; recognized as the seat of Voodoo religion.
This is its source. From West Africa these pagan rhythms reached New Orleans. Basically rock is a mixture of African rhythms, blues, and country western.
The Websters New World Dictionary describes just one of these ingredients and we're just going to follow one through here.
In looking at Jazz sometimes spelled Jas., that's the Credo dialect for it, is a sexual term applied to the Congo dances used in the vice district of New Orleans, and later it moved to Chicago.
Music historian Edith Borof quotes a black entertainer who confirms that Jass was a four letter word that was common in the New Orleans Brothels, that's the prostitution area.
Later it became common slang expression for sexual intercourse in several parts of the United States.
Now I'm being very up front with you.
Those of you who are in my classes know that I am very honest and up front with you.
I expect you to approach it like mature young men and young women.
In the French dictionary, and I didn't even
write the name down because I am not able to pronounce it, 1994: the Jass in particular tickles the sex glands. Now the French have a different way of expressing themselves than we do. This is just one of the ingredients of rock music.
Rock, as we know it today, was given it's name by a Cleveland disc jockey, Allen Freed was his name, and he attached it to this as a expression for sex in the back seat of a car.
That's where it got it's name. Were not just talking about words here. I hear a lot of people say, you know there's nothing wrong with the music - it's just the words.
We're talking about the music.
According to it's origin, rock music is from darkness, and not light.
I'm going to share with you some testimonies and according to research, rock is immoral. Listen to these:
One psycologist says the beat has genuine sexual implications.
Can you imagine what that does when you put that beat to sacred word?
The shame that must bring to Heavenly Angels?
Let me read you another statement, Dr. Allen Bloom say's in his book "the closing of the American mind." Rock music has one appeal, a barbaric appeal to sexual desire. Rock was defined by Elvis Presely as meaning the same as sex. This an old quote but a man from the Rolling Stones said rock has always been the devils music, you can't convince me that it isn't.
Another rock singer said rock and roll is 99% sex.
The editor of rock magazine wrote these words; rock music carries the basic connotation of rampid lust, and above all the adolescent sex drive.
Now I've just shared with you a few.
I have a book in my file about this thick that has quote after quote after quote that shows very clearly that rock music is immoral.
I read one report about converts from paganism who were actually from Africa,I think but I am not sure, who were frightened by so called gospel rock because it reminded them of the demonic music to which they had formally been accustomed.
They considered the use of such music as being blasphemous to the name of Jesus.
Its source is darkness that is trying to take us from the true light.
I want you to hear some testimonies from young people who have struggled with rock and by the grace of Jesus Christ have over come.
But before I do that, I want to share with you the results two scientific experiments carried on.
In 1988 Greasier Schrecenberg and Harvey Bird, two scientest from Princeton University, decided to do an experiment with labratory mice, they divided them into three groups.
The first group lived a natural life, the only thing to distract then was the noise of the scientist working in the lab.
The second group was placed in a sound chamber and were exposed to classical music which was played at 60 to 65 db which was quite calm.
The third group was also put into a chamber and were exposed to rock type rhythms played at a moderate 80 to 85 decimal level. Same as the classical.
Group 1 and
2 played normal running through the tunnels sniffing as normal, and
finding their food. Their fur was glossy and normal. But group three
their fur became dull anatomically. A physical change. Some became
aggressive even to the point of canableisim. . while others in that
same group became lethargic, and inattentive, could care less.
Nothing was important. You know a rock artist who became a
Christian read the report and he said that's what happened in the
concerts that I gave. Some became vicious while others, they could
care less, and they would sit there as if they were half asleep. They
dissected the brains of these mice and when they got into the brains
they found the nerve cells of the rock group suffered distortion,
elongation and excessive branching, and they could see that under a
microscope.
I have another experiment here. I have had it in my files for a long
time. It's an experiment of what rock music does to plants. I wish
that I had time to read the whole article to you. It has pictures . But
in a nutshell, this lady took several different kinds of situations under
scientific controlled conditions . One group of plants grew in silence,
and another group grew to classical music and another grew with
rock music. She later added devotional music, and what she found
was that those that grew in silence grew normal and well, the foliage
and root system was good. Those that grew with classical music
grew just a little bit away from the speaker, at a 20% angle probably,
and they grew very well, lush and a little bit better than the silent
ones. The rock group plants moved 60% away from the speakers like
they were trying to get totally away from them . And in three weeks
the rock plants died. Devotional music plants grew two inches higher
than the silent plants, and were much more beautiful in their foliage,
and were strong and sturdy. The rock plants moved 60 % away from
the speakers trying to get away from it. The plants listening to the
devotional music grew two inches higher, in the silence category they
were much more beautiful in their foliage and sturdy. She did this
over and over again and scoffers would say but you didn't do this the
same or that the same way, and time after time it came out the
same way. You know what comes to my mind? If rock music does this
to animals, and plants, what does it do to humans? Where just talking
about physical and mental things, what about spiritual things? There
is a growing amount of evidence that rock music is addictive. You
find that heavy users have those characteristics. Scientist are finding
this in their work and research. 3000 young people in all 50 states
and five foreign countries 99.3% said yes. I want to read you a
testimony from a young Seventh Day Adventists boy. "My fall from
the church when they started to play rock music in the church. A
young man about your age. It turned me on to rock, and soon I lost
all relish for singing hymns, I lost all love for church and was out of it
before I knew it. I trace my trouble all to music. All the rest of my
testimonies are from non Adventist. I think the young people are
Baptists. "As a child of ten I remember my classmates listening to
music as laud as possible during lunch and when ever the teacher left
the room. The music was repulsive to me, and laughed at me because
I was different. Then some of my friends started to play it, once a
close friend was playing it and I asked her to turn it off, and it turned
out to become an argument, it resulted in tears and accusations and
she called me a goody, goody. A few years later I began dating a
young man who liked rock music, he introduced me to contemeraray
Christian rock and I was curious the words interested me even
though the music didn't seem that great. Another friend introduced
me to some more, and the words were clever and I kept listening to
see if I could catch the words. However I didn't realize what was
happening. We went to several religious rock concerts, I remember
one song in particular having a heavy rock beat, and the crowd got
up and started to clap with the music. I had a strange sense of
wanting to participate and at the time wanting only to observe what
was going on. My friend and I at first refused to follow the crowd but
every one else was doing it and it seemed awkward so eventually we
joined in. I began to listen to a Christian rock station late at night
that played heavy rock and the music was still repulsive to me but I
was curious of course I only turned it on after my parents went to
bed. Soon after this I got a job where they played secular rock all
day long. I didn't even think of asking them to turn it off, in fact I
thought I would not be affected by the music, I thought that music
was something I could control in my own mind and at the same I felt
so far removed in my spiritual walk. God use my parents to begin to
show me that I should not listen to music that did not move me
closer to the Lord. I stopped listening to Christian rock out of
obedience but I didn't feel that it had effected me that much. I did
not connect my new hunger and thirst after God with obedience..
Months later after fasting from music (that's interesting) I heard
some of the songs that I had previously listened and was shocked at
the worldly sound and felt sick inside. I hadn't realized the antiseptic
properties of the rock beat. I had been introduced to it a little at a
time and my spirit was also dulled a little at a time until I could not
distinguish music that pleased God with that which was in rebellion
with His Spirit. What a testimony by a young person.
I don't have time to tell all of this one. It's about a boy that got into
Satan worship when he was 7 years old. and finally when he was 17
he got into it all by himself because there was no coven around. I am
now in my twenties, I am asking God to bring healing from my
involvement in my years of Satanism, during those horrible years in
my life. When ever I hear rock music weather it's suppose to be
religious or not, my reaction is extreme I can't handle the music, I
don't care what the words say, as soon as I hear the beat, it takes
me back to those services where we called the enemy to impeller us
to do great evil. I am grieved about Christian rock music, I can't
believe Christians accept these things. Whenever I attend a service
where Christian rock is played I have to leave. With my background it
is hard for me to understand why anyone would want to put sacred
words to that kind of music. I believe they are sincere but I also
believe they don't under stand what they are opening themselves to,
and the invitation they are giving the enemy to open up their lives.
When I hear rock music in church it is like taking a wee gee board to
church its like saying we are going to play this and not summons the
power of darkness, were going to play this and try to get a message
from God. It just doesn't fit. I attended a church where a young man
ran out of the church and making strange sounds when they started
to play rock music. I ran after him an found him down the hall on his
knees crying. He looked up at me and said, you were in a coven to
weren't you. I said I had been, he said I can't stand the thoughts
that coming into my mind because of that music. Why are they using
it here in this church, I thought it would be different here. It was a
part of our training that people were able to call spirits all over the
world by using music. Even if we left the United States it would follow
us, the music was used to prove it to us. I would ask all who hear
this to pray for me. I have been out of Satanism for several years
now, and just recently went through the steps of freedom. God has
helped me to put a lot of this behind me, I still have a lot of work to
go. I have many horrible memories which must be dealt with in a
biblical way so that I can continue to experience the freedom God
has begun in my life.
This one is about some church leaders in Russia.
Who were subjected to impressment for their belief in Jesus Christ.
which was the underground church, they were not Seventh-day
Adventist. The communist pelted them with rock music to destroy
their faith. And you know what they say in this letter which I have
underlined it. Right now we are facing a real crises, because the
doors are upon and American evangelist are bringing the gospel
message to us, and guess what they are bring in with it. Gospel rock.
We no that that is what the communist used to try to destroy our
relationship with Jesus Christ. And there pleading don't bring that
stuff. We don't want it, we were subjected to this, some of them for
more then 20 years. in prison.
To close with, I am going to read this letter from a young lady in
closing. When I was 12 I began joining youth choir in church. Up until
then I agreed with my parents that rock music was wrong. As I was
exposed to it in church my senses were dulled. I started believing
certain styles of music was OK in the church, but believed secular
rock was wrong. Before long I was exposed to secular rock by my
friends and I could see no difference except the words. I saved my
money and bought a head set so I could listen to it with out my
parents knowing. That progress to heavy rock and no Christian music
accept on Sundays. I listened constantly when my parents weren't
around I would turn up the volume to between 7 & 10 It was not the
same listening to it at low levels. I was addicted, I just couldn't get
enough. My spiritual life went down, and I shut out everyone accept
those who listen to my type of music. I shut out the two most
important spiritual leaders in my life, my parents. Even more than that
I shut out God. I began telling Him I didn't want anything to do with
Him. I didn't read my Bible. I didn't pray. Didn't want to go to church.
The only impute I had in my life was my music. Satan had a firm grip
on my life. All of this climaxed one summer after I had just turned 14.
I attempted suicide, when it failed I new I had to make some
changes. I tried to rebuild my relationship with God, but my spiritual
senses were so dulled that I didn't even realize what was hindering
that relationship. When I was sixteen I decided to give up scalar
music, but that didn't improve things very much. At the same time I
began dating a young man whose life dream was to own and operate
a radio station and play continuous contimerary Christian music. I
supported that dream still believing the lie that if we had more
contemporary Christian music available to our young people they
wouldn't get messed up with that secular stuff. My boyfriend had
racks of CD's on his wall. My parents urged me to give my music over
to God I assured them that I had. Beside I assured them I only listen
to Christian stuff now. I argued I wouldn't make them listen to it, it
was my music. God doesn't work on everyone the same way etc.
However when I was seventeen God began to work in my life. I
realized my parents were probably right. They had read me ten
reasons why the rock beat is evil in any form. I couldn't argue with
anything in it. I knew I was wrong, but I had to make a choice. I had
to choose between God and the life I was now living. my music ,my
boyfriend, and my rebellion. On October 12 1990 I had a spiritual
knock down drag out fight with God. Praise the Lord He won. That
day I prayed a prayer, and I had no concept how much it would
affect me. I told God I didn't understand every thing but gave my
music to Him. If nothing else listening to rock was rebellion against
my parents. Rebellion is like the sin of witchcraft. I asked God to
renew a right spirit with in me, and show me what was wrong, He did
just that, I felt chains had fallen of me when I hear music today I
used to listen to I am horrified, I must have grieved God's heart so
much.
It breaks my heart to see other Christians following the same path I
did. Just as I was they are more committed to their music than to
God. I praise God for the renewed spirit and senses He has given me,
and I plead with you not to promote Christian rock, or make the same
mistake I did The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Let us
therefore cast off the works of Darkness, and put on the armor of
Light.

[This message has been edited by Karen (edited March 07, 2001).]