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Sermon #1061 Christianity or Islam? The hundreds killed around the world in terrorist attacks even in the last month have focused our attention to ISIS -- the self-proclaimed Islamic State. What is this all about? Why such unrelenting animosity from a segment of the Muslim world? An August 1, 2016, article by Jon Dean in the Mirror titled, “'Why we hate you,’” reveals the perspective of the extremist periodical Dabiq. The author writes, "We hate you, first and foremost, because … you reject the oneness of Allah … you blaspheme against Him, claiming that He has a son, you fabricate lies against His prophets and messengers… We hate you because your secular, liberal societies permit the very things that Allah has prohibited while banning many of the things He has permitted... In the case of the atheist fringe, we hate you and wage war against you because you disbelieve in the existence of your Lord and Creator…We hate you for your crimes against the Muslims; your drones and fighter jets bomb, kill, and maim our people around the world... We hate you for invading our lands... The fact is, even if you … stop bombing us … our … hating you will not cease to exist until you embrace Islam." What is the religion that our avowed enemies attribute as the source of their animosity? http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/why-hate-you-isis-reveal-8533563 About ten years ago I had a series of studies in Nashville with a thirty year old son of a Muslim Imam from Nigeria. An Imam is the prayer leader at a Muslim mosque and recognized Islamic spiritual leader. Later, I met with the Director of Education at the Nashville mosque. Although Muslims claim to believe the Bible, when they say “Bible” I learned they refer only to the Old Testament and the Gospels. They believe Paul promoted the “errors of Christianity.” Muslims claim the Jews corrupted the Old Testament to shore up their beliefs, and that Christians manipulated the New Testament text to promote Christianity. When I suggested surely all of God’s word would be preserved and available, he said, “No, the Qur’an has all man needed.” My friend Muhammad later said Allah preserved the Old Testament and the Gospels, but that it is difficult to obtain a copy of this “genuine” Bible. Muhammad spoke with admiration of “the people of the book” who purportedly possess and live by the original message. I expressed interest in meeting these mysterious people, but learned they are difficult to find. They likely refer to the Ebionites related to Muhammad. The Ebionites likely claimed to be Christians while attempting to reestablish Jewish law. They regarded Jesus as the Messiah, but not the Son of God. We take a closer look at Islam and draw comparisons with Christianity, but first, we have a song… While Jesus teaches the apostles to call God, “Our Father,” Matthew 6:9, Muslims say that is blasphemy. While the New Testament teaches we can know God and become close to God -- James 4:8, “Draw near to God and he will draw near to you,” Islam teaches God is unknowable and unapproachable. The apostle Paul tells the crowd on Mars’ Hill -- Acts 17:23, “the one whom you worship without knowing, Him I proclaim to you…” Paul writes that God will execute judgment on those who do not know God -- 2 Thessalonians 1:8. Muslims most despise Christianity because Muslims maintain Christians worship three gods. Muslims wrongly equate Roman Catholicism with Christianity and are taught that we worship the “trinity of God, Jesus and Mary.” This misunderstanding is likely rooted in the Roman Catholic teaching that Mary is the mother of God, Co-Redemptrix, Mediatrix and Advocate. Of course, the Scriptures do not 1 Christianity or Islam? by Brett Hickey, sermon #1061 2 of 5 teach that, but teach that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are God. The Bible says in John 1:1, 14, “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God…and the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us.” Muslims claim calling Jesus the Son of God insults the holy nature of God. To Muslims, Deity is incompatible with the weakness and filthiness of human flesh. Muslims say where Jesus teaches God will send another Comforter -- John 16:7 -- is actually a prophecy of Muhammad instead of the Holy Spirit. Nothing supports this idea in any New Testament manuscript. Another important difference between Islam and Christianity is the Qur’an’s teaching that Abraham offered up Ishmael—not Isaac—on the altar. Muslims commemorate this on Eid al-Adha -- Festival of the Sacrifice -- by sacrificing a sheep, camel, or goat. They give one third of the meat to friends and donate one third to the poor. The sacrifice symbolizes a willingness to give up things to follow Allah’s commands. Muslims visit friends and family and exchange gifts during this holy day. These sacrifices are not offered to forgive sins. While Jesus says, “the truth shall make you free” -- John 8:32 -- and Paul writes in Galatians 5:1, “Stand fast in the liberty by which Christ has made us free and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage,” the Qur’an teaches that a Muslim can never rise above slaves. At the age of six, boys in devout Muslim families begin to go with their father to pray at the mosque five times a day beginning at 3:30 a.m. These prayers include scripted words and physical movements that sound like that of a slave. Consider the following regulations: First of all, anyone who has become impure (by using the bathroom, touching a woman or an animal, et cetera) must cleanse himself before prayers. Before he washes he says, “I put my face to the true creator and I begin my washing.” • He washes his right hand and then left hand three times. • He rinses his mouth with water – rubbing his teeth with his right finger three times. • He cleanses his nose with water three times. • He washes his face from the hairline, around the ear and under the chin three times. • He washes his arms from the wrist to the elbow, right hand first, three times. • He washes his hair by dipping his hand in water and smoothing it over his hair three times. • He washes his ears with a wet finger in a specific direction and with a particular motion. • He washes his feet up to his ankles; right foot first, three times. Because this is how Muhammad prayed, so must all Muslims. Muslims must be grateful to Muhammad that they only have to pray five times a day. Initially, they claim, Allah demanded fifty prayers a day until Muhammad negotiated it down to five. When Muslims pray, they line up in straight rows facing Mecca and the prayer leader cups his hands behind his ears and proclaims, “Allah is great.” Everyone repeats these words. Then, in unison, they cross their hands over their stomachs, right hand on top and recite the first chapter of the Qur’an in Arabic. Then everyone is given a few seconds to quote additional verses of their choosing. Next, the leader cups his hands behind his ears and calls out again, “Allah is great.” The assembly echoes his words. Again in unison, they bow at the waist with hands on their knees and respond, “I praise my great Lord. This completes the first half of the first unit of prayer called a raka’ah. At 4 a.m. Muslims must pray two raka’ah’s; at noon, four raka’ah’s; at 3 p.m., four raka’ah’s; three raka’ah’s at 5 p.m. and four raka’ah’s at 8:30 p.m. 2 Christianity or Islam? by Brett Hickey, sermon #1061 3 of 5 Muhammad taught that prayers at the mosque were twenty-seven times better than private prayers. Jesus taught in Matthew 6:5-7, "And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words.” Jesus taught His disciples to pray as children to a loving Father, whereas Muhammad taught men to pray as slaves to avoid Allah’s wrath. What contrast! Christianity and Islam are different in many ways, but the most startling is the attitude toward women. One, obviously, emanates from God—the other from man. • Muhammad claimed to visit hell and found that there were more women there than men. • Muhammad said, “If there is evil omen in anything, it is in the house, the woman and the horse.” • Muhammad said, “Prayer is annulled by a dog, a donkey and a woman.” Aisha, the nine year old Muhammad married, later complained, “You have made us dogs.” • Muhammad said, “Women are ungrateful to their husbands…(and) deficient in intelligence and religion…the witness of two women is equal to that of one man.” • Islam teaches women could be taken as spoils of war. • Muhammad had twelve wives and twenty-three slave women. The Qur’an allows a man to have up to four wives, if he can support them financially. • The Qur’an teaches that husbands could beat their wives lightly to get them in line. • A divorce was final, if a man simply said three times, “I divorce you,” but a woman could not initiate a divorce at all. Meanwhile, in the gospels we learn Mary and Martha were two of Jesus’ closest friends. A number of women, in fact, traveled with Jesus from place to place according to Luke 8:1-3. These women, we find in Matthew 27:55-56, were loyal to Jesus, following him all the way to the cross. Women were witnesses after his resurrection and reported it to the twelve. Jesus praised a number of women for their great faith (Matthew 15:28), generosity (Luke 21) and love (Luke 7:36-50). In John 4 and John 8, Jesus offered hope and forgiveness to women who had lost their way. Jesus taught in Matthew 19 that a man could only divorce his wife in the case of unfaithfulness. The Holy Spirit writes in Galatians 3:28, “There…is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” The New Testament shows genuine respect for women. Islam’s most creative departure from Scripture concerns the crucifixion. Islam contends Judas Iscariot led the authorities to Gethsemane to seize Jesus, but that God took Jesus up to heaven. Meanwhile as the authorities searched for Jesus, Judas disappeared behind a tree. Then God miraculously gave Judas the appearance of Jesus, so Jesus’ would-be captors, seized Judas, thinking they had Jesus. So, Muslims explain, the crucifixion and the cruelties surrounding it were actually the meting out of a well-deserved punishment on Judas. The Muslim explanation misses this point that Judas himself was assigned with positively identifying Jesus. Perhaps the greatest disparity between Christianity and Islam exists in the place of love in the Bible and the Qur’an. When I asked Mohammad about his favorite scripture on love in the Qur’an, he 3 Christianity or Islam? by Brett Hickey, sermon #1061 4 of 5 wanted instead to talk about the mercy of Allah. Christianity extols both the love and the mercy of God. It was surprising to learn the Qur’an provides ninety-nine names for God, but the one conspicuously absent is the one considered most significant in the New Testament. 1 John 4:8, “He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.” In 1 John alone (a book of three or four pages), the word “love” is found thirty-five times and over two hundred twenty times in the New Testament. Meanwhile, the Qur’an only speaks of God’s love for man twenty times. Five times the Qur’an teaches God loves those who do good. Two times the Qur’an says God loves the pure. Seven times the Qur’an says God loves the righteous or just. One verse each in the Qur’an expresses God’s love for Moses, those who trust Him, those who are patient, those who love him and follow the prophet, those who will love him and, of course, those who fight in battle for Him. So, how should Christians interact with Muslims? Burning copies of the Qur’an will not bring the desired effect. Consider the following suggestions: Become familiar with Islam to demonstrate openness to investigating the merits of Islam. We see the impressive devotion of Muslims in their steadfast adherence to daily prayers, religious fasting, abstinence from alcohol, charitable giving, a zeal to die for their faith and dedication to the Qu’ran. Thousands of Muslims are admitted every year to the Muslim university, Al-Azhar University in Egypt. To be admitted one must recite the entire Qur’an from memory. Recognize common ground. Islam is opposed to polytheism, believes in a final judgment and in many of the prophets recorded in the Bible. Muslims look to Abraham as father of the faithful. While they deny Jesus is the Son of God, Muslims do believe in Jesus as a sinless Messiah and great miracle worker. When discussing religion with a Muslim, practice the Golden Rule. The most effective way to win them over or at least gain a listener is to disarm them with respect and kindness. The Holy Spirit puts it this way in 1 Peter 3:15, “Sanctify the Lord God in your hearts and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asks you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear.” This last phrase, “with meekness and fear” has also been translated “with gentleness and respect.” (NIV) Ask questions respectfully to learn where they are coming from and to clear up possible misunderstandings. Listen. Christians are taught in James 1:19 to be “slow to speak” and “swift to hear.” The importance of this truth is highlighted in 2 Timothy 2:24-26. Even though Jesus was one hundred percent right and the Samaritan woman at the well was in error and comparatively ignorant, Jesus allowed her -John 4-- to speak the same amount of words he spoke. By allowing another to talk, we earn the right to be heard. Ask what the greatest blessing they receive from being a Muslim and then tell them about the blessing of forgiveness and the confidence of salvation. 1 John 5:13, “These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life…” This assurance is one of the great blessings of Christianity that Islam fails to deliver. Muslims never know if they will go to heaven until judgment. 4 Christianity or Islam? by Brett Hickey, sermon #1061 5 of 5 Ask if the Qur’an teaches love. Then ask them to share their three favorite passages on love from the Qur’an. Next, share three scriptures on love that are meaningful to you. This will intrigue them, and create the greatest likelihood of stimulating openness in the future. Confirm their belief in the Bible. When they tell you the Jews corrupted the Old Testament and Christians corrupted the New Testament to promote their own teachings, ask them to read aloud prophecies of Christ in the Old Testament. I prefer Isaiah 53 because of the many consecutive prophecies that point clearly to Jesus. Then, ask if they know who Isaiah is speaking about. If they do not see that they are prophecies about Jesus, explain it to them. Remind them this is the Jewish Bible. Then ask, “If Jews were going to corrupt Old Testament, wouldn’t they have removed such lengthy, lucid prophecies about Jesus?” Most likely they will have never seen these and be struck by them. Then, ask if the Old Testament has any prophecies of Muhammad as detailed and striking as the ones you shared about Jesus from David and Isaiah. They cannot help but see how full the Bible is of prophecies about Jesus and how none can be found of Muhammad. Finally, avoid anger and frustration if you cannot answer one of their arguments. Write it down and research it further. Stay with us to learn how to get a copy of this message and the booklet on Islam soon to be released… Thank you for watching Let the Bible Speak. We hope you have heard God speak to you through His word. If you’d like to get a free copy of today’s message, #1061, “Christianity or Islam?” or begin our free Bible study course, please write us at the address to follow. Visit LetTheBibleSpeak.com to read transcripts, hear podcasts, and watch videos of the program at your convenience. Be sure to set your DVR so you never miss the program. Finally, we echo the sentiment of the apostle Paul when he wrote in Romans 16:16, “the churches of Christ salute you.” Until next week, goodbye and God bless. 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