Islam - Genesis Part 51

There were going back to our study in the book of Genesis, verse by verse and we want to talk today about the 1 billion Muslims in our world may surprise you to know that not only is Islam the fastest growing religion in the world is also the fastest growing religion in the United States of America. So what about all this we hear about Jihad and sharia law and Isis and the Sunnis and the Shiites and what in the world is going on with all of this and how does Islam differ from biblical Christianity and why is it so hard to reach a Muslim for Christ and what is this whole Isis thing that's going on over there those of the questions were going to try to answer. Today we have a lot of ground to cover three ready to go okay here we go now, you might start off by saying lawn. How does Islam relate to the book of Genesis. Well much in every way because friends Islam originated with the Arab peoples and many of the Muslims in the world today. A large percentage are Arab peoples and the Bible tells us where the Arab peoples originated. Genesis 21 verse one now the Lord did for Sarah what he had promised, and Sarah became pregnant and bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at the very time God had promised to, and Abraham gave the name Isaac to the songs Sarah bore to him.

Now remember Abraham and already fathered us on with Sarah's handmaiden. A boy named Ishmael right okay verse nine of chapter 21, but Sarah saw Ishmael mocking Isaac.

So Sarah said to Abraham, throw this handmade and her son out for the son of this handmade shall never share in the inheritance with my son Isaac in this matter distressed.

Abraham greatly. But God said to Abraham, do not be distressed because of the boy in the May listen to what Sarah tells you and I will make the son of the maid Ishmael into a great nation to because he also is your offspring and this man Ishmael became the father of the hundreds of millions of Arab peoples in the earth today. Now that's for their people came from but where did Islam come from well Islam came from a gentleman named Mohammed one of these Arab descendents of Ishmael. He was born somewhere around 570 A.D. in the city of Mecca in modern-day Saudi Arabia and at age 40, he began to have visions that he understood to be from God, and he recorded him in the Quran, Islam is actually an Arabic word that means submission because the word is meant to describe the relationship that Allah expects every human being to have with him, namely that they submit to all laws will there are two big branches there smaller ones, but the two largest branches of Islam are the Sunnis and the Shiites which all of us have heard a lot about over the last decade. Now let's talk for a minute about where Islam and the Bible differ theologically got four areas. There are many more but of four key areas I want to tell you about very quickly number one when it comes to God. Biblical Christianity teaches that there is one God who exists eternally in three persons. The father the son and the Holy Spirit, the Trinity, as we like to say and there a lot of verses in the Bible to back this up. Let me just give you one Genesis chapter 1 verse 26 and God said, let let us, okay, make man in our own image, according to our likeness. Now God uses the first person plural here let us in our and so woozy talking to you say what always talking to lawn he's talking of angels and the cherubim and the seraphim know is not were not made in the image of angels. The Bible never says that will not made in the image of cherubim model have six wings with to cover my feet would to cover my face would to fly around. Isaiah chapter 6 is not how I made were made in the image of God so woozy talking tube is not the angels of the heavenly host.

Well friends. God is talking within the Godhead to himself God the father, God the son and God the Holy Spirit are having a conversation nicely lawn had explained that I don't explain it. I don't understand it. Nobody understands this, but the Bible says God is one essence in three persons. I don't understand it but I believe it. Islam teaches that there is one single God Allah.

But when Muslims say single. They mean single to a Muslim. The doctrine of the Trinity is the ultimate heresy. The Quran says it is blasphemy of the worst sort to believe that Jesus is God's son.

It is an offense worthy of hell now.

Second of all, how does Islam and the Bible disagree about God's character. Well, the Bible.

Biblical Christianity teaches that God is a personal God who created you and me to have a personal relationship with him who wants to be personally involved in our lives. And Jesus died on the cross to make that possible. Islam teaches that Allah is far too high above man for this kind of personal contact to occur that Allah is on knowable. What's more, Islam teaches that above all else.

Allah is a God of judgment. This is in direct contrast to biblical Christianity which teaches that above all else.

God is a God of mercy. Psalm 145 verse eight says the Lord is full of compassion, slow to anger, and of great mercy exactly and it's very important for us to understand friends that because grace and mercy and forgiveness is not part of our laws basic character. Therefore, these values of grace and mercy and forgiveness and compassion.

They have little to do with the practice of Islam. This is why mother can go on television and plead in front of the whole world for her captive journalists on and asked for mercy and asked for compassion and beg for kindness and beg for forgiveness and they cut the head off anyway because these values they don't ring it in his strong they're not part of Islam. They fall on deaf ears. Number three let's talk about Islam and the Bible when it comes to Jesus biblical Christianity teaches that Jesus is the second person of the Godhead coequal, coeternal and close substantial with God the father and God the Holy Spirit, which is why Jesus said in John 10 verse 30 I and the father are one.

Islam teaches that Jesus was a prophet but not as great a prophet as Mohammed and that he was certainly not the son of God, the Quran says and I quote Jesus was only a messenger of Allah. Far be it removed from Allah's transcendent majesty that he should have a song."

Finally, about their beliefs.

Islam in the Bible about the plan of salvation about how people get to heaven, will folks I should tell you that there are two places where every-ism, every ontology every call every false religion. I don't care what else they believe, but they're guaranteed to disagree with the Bible on two things.

The first is the deity of Christ that he is God in the flesh, you will Artie cover that Islam doesn't believe that in the second area where they all disagree with the Bible is on the plan of salvation. The Bible's plan of salvation is based on four cardinal truths.

Number one the holiness of God number two. The sinfulness of man, not just in his actions. But in his intrinsic nature number three the inability of man to save himself and number for the undeserved grace of God in salvation. And when we say that salvation is by the undeserved grace of God.

What we mean is that salvation is completely a work accomplished by Jesus on the cross and it becomes ours, not by working but by trusting liquid.

Romans four verse five says to the one who does not try to work for his salvation, but simply trusts God who justifies the ungodly to that person's faith is trusting and great what Jesus did for them on the cross is credited to him as righteousness.

I look your second if you really get into heaven. The next to your name in God's book needs to be written the word righteousness and God only writes that word next to a person's name. This what this verse says only does that as an act of grace. He only does that as a gift. He credits righteousness to us even though we are not righteous but folks notice he only does that for people more willing to trust what Christ did for them on the cross and not try to work for their salvation that the plan of salvation and the Bible is a Christ plus nothing. Salvation and let me say if you're here today and you're on a Christ plus something salvation plan. Christ plus confession Christ plus communion, Christ, plus the rosary Christ plus confession Christ plus church membership Christ plus baptism Christ plus being bar mitzvahed Christ.

Plus being a good person. Christ plus try to keep the 10 Commandments. I don't care what the pluses friend in a go to work out today.

Why, because God is not going to credit righteousness to you if you had anything to do with it. He's not going to honor human works. He only is going to honor human humility.

We confess we can't save ourselves and were willing to trust what Jesus did 100% to save us and then God says okay you do that Christ was nothing here you go Allah race unrighteous from next to your name and I'm writing in righteous and is there for eternity body understand how works yeah you got it.

If you're here on a Christ plus something plan and I want to urge you, I want to take you. I want to plead with you, you gotta jettison the something and make a Christ plus nothing plan or folks is going to be a very unhappy day when you meet God in eternity. Righteousness is not going to be credited to your name.

So I beg you to do that well. Islam knows nothing of this, grace of God and Islam man is not sinful in his nature, he sinful in his actions, meaning the only thing that makes a person a sinner is when they break the laws of Allah and so they have five laws. You have to keep in order to work your way into heaven. Remember I told you this is where every is a mineralogy disagrees with the Bible, Islam believes you can work your way into heaven here. The five laws very quickly.

Number one recite the shahada.there is no God but Allah and Mohammed is his prophet number two. Prayer five times a day, every Muslim has to get on their knees facing Mecca and say prescribed prayers to Allah. Number three alms giving every Muslim is expected to give one 40th of his or her income to the poor you give more, but that's the minimum law number four fasting for the month of Ramadan, every Muslim during that month, must refrain from food, drink, smoking and sexual activity during the daylight hours and finally the hajj of, or the pilgrimage to Mecca which every Muslim is expected to make at least once in their life unless extreme poverty prevents them and if you do these five things Islam says that you have a chance of getting in heaven is doing me a chance. Well it is, there's no guarantee. People get in the habit of the people Allah wants to get into heaven, he can make the decision whether you keep these five things are not as it will that's no insurance precisely precisely. You can do them all, and of all the more let you in and too bad now there's one other word we should know here and that's the word jihad, or holy war, the Koran says that any man who dies and is jihad guarantee automatically goes immediately to Paradise so can you understand why rulers in Islamic countries are so quick to declare jihad because then they get people who believe they're going right to heaven if they died in one of these things and that's how they get people to be willing to blow themselves up and do all these other things.

It's the only way to be sure you get in the paradise you can keep the five laws and still miss it.

But man, you dime is jihad, you're in so that's why they use okay if I got all that and I lost you know you there okay all right now let's talk about why it's so hard to reach a Muslim for Christ. Well, the answer is because in Islamic countries. Islam is woven into the very fabric of society at every level. People are indoctrinated into it from birth. No one is permitted to leave Islam. Those who do are considered traders to their faith to their country and to their family. They face imprisonment. Disinheritance. The loss of their family. The loss of their children economic boycott, and even death.

Now that the stars were going to go in talking about Islam. Now were going to ask our most important question so we haven't done this in two months so you guys should be starving to do this. Yeah I are you ready come on down here. We go to a salon.

I mean this is interesting yeah but I don't really know if any of this has much to do with me. All my friends, my friend. It sure does. I don't know if you've noticed but fundamentalist Islam has a huge political agenda. Fundamentalist Islam teaches that it is the world's primal religion that Adam was a Muslim. Noah was a Muslim. Abraham was a Muslim and that all non-Muslims are infidels and all non-Islamic states are infidels states that must either be converted or conquered. So Islam has a global mission politically and religiously and that is the establishment of Islam across the globe everywhere. This is where this word caliphate's coming from that your hearing now about from Isis.

A caliphate is an Islamic state that transcends the borders of the Middle East that were drawn up by Western leaders after World War I. It's led by a supreme ruler political ruler called a colleague which literally means a successor. That is the Mohammed and it operates on strict Islamic law sharia law.

I hope you understand that the countries you see today the borders of these countries are Iraq, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, and none of these borders existed before 1918, the French and the British after World War I got together and carved up the Middle East and drew all these artificial borders. Before that it was just all part of the Ottoman Empire and one big massive territory and Isis.

One of the things that they will. They're so upset about is all these artificial borders drawn by Western infidel leaders. They don't respect any of those borders. They don't care about any of those borders and friends. They are trying to establish in on June 29 of this year 2014 they established in their own caliphate called the Islamic state with Abu Barker, I'll bog Doddy in charge and they want to go back to the glory days of this law. Now the largest caliphate that ever existed on earth was in 750 A.D. it was a caliphate that covered from Spain and southern France in the west all the way to China just about in the ease and this is their dream to reestablish this caliphate and then to expand it and friends.

Even Muslims who don't agree with them.

They tell they don't care if there Muslims and certainly Christians those who don't agree with them. They kill and once they unify all existing Muslims into their caliphate. Their next goal is to destroy or convert every other nation on earth will say this has nothing to do would you you know that's really scary to see what's happening right now over in the Middle East with this caliphate. Many of us have heard of the radical Islamic group in Nigeria Boca Harlem that kidnapped all these young women you've heard of them but I just recently captured the city of glows on several are just a month or so ago, and here's what the leader of Boca Harlem said when he when he took the city listen to this, he said and I quote the area of the city is now part of the Islamic caliphate and no longer has anything to do with Nigeria." Maisie now is a lawn. How does all this relate the Bible prophecy at all. Oh my gosh, you bet it does the book of Daniel. Daniel chapter 2 Daniel chapter 7. The prophecies there make it clear that if I understand him right and I believe I do that the central kingdom at the end of this age is going to be a middle eastern kingdom.

It's going to have its power center at Babylon in modern-day Iraq not in Rome. This is not a rebuilt Roman empire when the book of Revelation was written by the apostle John Rome existed, and God knew how to say Rome and God said Babylon hundred years ago we would've all looked at that and said that's crazy. Nothing is ever coming out of that desert will today people are saying that and it will be an Islamic kingdom, and the antichrist will be a Muslim. Daniel chapter 7 verse 23 and in this kingdom will devour the whole earth, trampling it down and crushing it friends you want to caliphate right here in the book of Daniel. You got one and then he goes on to say verse 25 he ruler of this caliphate.

The antichrist will speak out against the most high God and what the next three words oppress his saints to make sense what's going on.

Yeah Melissa and I got these two messages for you have time to go to the prophecies today, but you can either do want to things you go online to McLean Bible.org and you can listen to the message and we've also got all the notes written out from the message so that you can follow right along or you go out in our lobby and we have CDs of these two messages.

Daniel two Daniel seven and if we run out will get some more for next week. But one way or the other. I want you to listen to Daniel chapter 2 in Daniel chapter 7 of those prophecies so you really have a grasp on what is going on in our world today. The Bible tells us the geopolitically things are going to get a lot worse before they get any better that Isis or some Muslim force like it is going to sweep out of the Middle East and nothing on this earth is going to be able to stop it. Nothing that is except Titus 213 the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who will sway the lawless one the antichrist with the breath of his mouth and destroy him by the splendor or of.

Here's the Lord's coming. In the end, Jesus wins folks yeah and this is why Titus chapter 213 says this is the blessed hope folks is no hope in this world is not open his world. But I'm so glad those of us who know Christ. We in Christ and in his gospel and in his return.

We have hope. Magnificent hole, victorious hope eternal hope and I don't care how bad it gets here on earth. There is no reason for us to ever lose hope. If we know Christ in the end Jesus wins.

They love it so we say with the great apostle John. Even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus was pretty good.

Heavenly father, thank you so much for teaching us today about what's going on in our world and for showing us that it fits with everything you said in the word of God for centuries and centuries that you got this whole thing under control that you are sovereign and there is not one single thing happening in this world that surprises you, not one single thing happening in this world that is out of your control, but rather Lord. Everything in this world is happening precisely on schedule and so even though it looks bad in our world, and even though it's going to get worse. Lord help us as your people never lose hope because we know that our sovereign God is in control of all of this and in the end, Jesus wins and we will stand with them when with you so Lord Jesus give us hope. It's hard to have hope and we look at the world, the Lord, and we look at you, you're gospel your return.

We have the blessed hope that the Bible gives us in Christ, we thank you for that lift our hearts and our spirits today because we learned the word of God, and it brings hope. We pray this in Jesus name God's people said