Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Sermon Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/Sermons/zz19990214.htm
BIBLICALLY TESTING THE SPIRITS "Part V: Testing MAJOR Beliefs In Islam With John 1:1-18" (John 1:1-18)
Introduction: (To show the need . . . )

It is important that we here at Nepaug know of the Islamic religion as its influence on our lives is increasing! Consider these facts:

(1) According to the Spring 1995 issue of the SIM NOW newsletter of the mission, SIM International, p. 4, by the year 2000 just ten months away, 25% of the people on the earth will consider themselves Muslims! This religion has grown from 400 million in 1960 to 1.3 billion by the year 2000, and increase of 3 1/3 times in just 40 years! Much of this increase is due to the high birth rates in Asia and Africa, making Islam the fastest growing faith in the world!

(2) Topping this off is the increased involvement of the Arab Islamic world with the major Western and Oriental powers due to the world's great oil-producing fields being in the control of Islamic nations! The Gulf War revealed the depth of this inter-con nection!

(3) The struggle in Bosnia is basically between Islamic and "Christian" communities and ethnic groups, a struggle that has gone back close to the Ottoman Empire and which may lead to the greater involvement of American servicemen in the near future!

(4) At King Hussein's funeral this week in the nation of Jordan, all living former American presidents, including our current President, stood together at Hussein's casket to show their respect! Former Presidents Ford, Carter and Bush stood beside President Clinton! The issue of peace in the Mid dle East of which King Hussein played such a key role, and the lofty role of the Islamic people of Jordan in that formula was heightened by the presence of all these presidents!

Even Russia's physically ill Boris Yeltsin was there!

(5) Terrorist and Muslim millionaire, Bin Laden has declared holy war on the U.S. Our government is warning of potential attacks on citizens in our country because of this Muslim extremist's actions! Concern over Bin Laden's efforts was dramatized in President Clinton's order to bomb Bin Laden's efforts with cruise missiles last year!



Well, in view of the increasingly significant ROLE of the Islamic faith in world conditions, WHAT is this the Islamic faith like, and HOW do we EFFECTIVELY respond to it?!



(We turn to the sermon "Need" section . . . )

Need: "Though Islam is mainly a Third World religion, the rise of the movement in the world along with Middle East crises that put Muslims in the regular media reports of our contry make me wonder WHAT Islam asserts. How do I handle it as a Christ ian?!"

1. We must test ALL beliefs, for there is much error around, 1 Jn. 4:1
2. GOD via Scripture GUIDES the WAY for us to do so (as follows):
1. We must see that a group believes in Christ's Incarnation, that He is the Creator God come in the flesh, 1 John 4:2-3; 1 Cor. 12:3.
2. We must see that a group believes salvation is by faith alone in Christ or if it wrongly makes man's merit a means of salvation, Gal. 1:8-9; 3:3
3. In viewing errant beliefs, we must examine Scripture with each error:
1. Paul tells us to be wise in the truth and to stay "unmixed" with error, Rom. 16:17, 19 (Bible Knowledge Com., N.T., p. 501).
2. This way God gives us victory over Satan's effort to deceive us, 20.
3. So as an aid to keep ourselves unmixed with error, we examine Scripture WHILE EXAMINING each ERRANT view!
3. Accordingly, we identify some MAJOR theological ERRORS of the Islamic Religion in light of what John 1:1-18 teaches as follows:
1. On Christ's deity, Islam teaches the Creator God is one PERSON, so Jesus is seen to be only a prophet later superseded by the "prophet", Muhammed, thereby making the claim that Jesus is God a blasphemy! Yet, John 1:1-3, 14 with 17-18 states Jesus is the Creator God in the eternal Godhead ALONG WITH the Person of God the Father, and is the final Revealer of the Father not to be superseded by any other!
1. On the Trinity, (a) Islam teaches in its holy book, the Koran at sura 4:171: "[Regarding God] Say not, 'Three.' Refrain; better it is for you. God is only one God." Thus, it is "blasphemy to call Him the Son of God or equal with God, because by Isl amic doctrine Allah can have no partner or offspring." (SIM NOW, Spring, '95, p. 4, "Islam") (b) However, John 1:1-3 with 14, 17 teaches Jesus Christ was eternally WITH God the Father in a plurality of divine PERSONS, that He created ALL things and was thus God!
2. On prophetic supremacy, (a) The Koran teaches Muhammed is the last of the prophets, the ultimate and "Glory of the Ages", SIM NOW, "A Look At Islam . . . ", July-Aug. '89, p. 5. (b) However, John 1:18 with v. 17 reveals of Jesus Christ, the "only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of [God] the Father, he hath [literally] exegeted (from eksaygeomai) him." (UBS Grk. N.T., p. 322) That verb, eksaygeomai is used in the New Testament era's vernacular Greek as a technical term to describe "the activity of priests and soothsayers who impart information or reveal divine secrets . . . [and also] . . . with reference to divine beings themselves", Arndt & Gingrich, A Greek-Eng. Lexicon of the N.T., p. 275! OPPOSITE Islamic beliefs, JOHN 1:17-18 says that Jesus Christ revealed the Father's secrets, so He can NOT be upstaged by ANY other, later alleged "prophet" such as Muhammed!
2. On salvation, though Islam denies that Jesus even died for man's sins, and that salvation is by good works in obedience to the Koran, John 1:12-13 teaches salvation is by faith alone in Christ alone:
1. Regarding the crucifixion, (a) In the Koran's "sura 4, Women", it is claimed that Jesus was not crucified, that belief He was crucified is false, Ibid., SIM NOW, July-Aug. '89, p. 7. (b) However, John later writes that Jesus, as the sacrificial Lamb of God, took away the sin of the world (John 1:29) as the crucified (John 19:18) and side-pierced (John 19:33-35) Son of God.
2. On salvation, (a) Islam thus teaches eternal life comes by works as God will thus weigh out one's works on Judgment Day, Ibid., p. 5. (b) Yet, John 1:12-13 affirms that salvation is by faith alone in Christ alone: ((a)) If one believes on Christ, God gives him the right (exousian, B.K.C., N.T., p. 272) to be a "born" son (tekna) of God, Jn. 1:12 (Mitchell, Fellowship, p. 63; UBS Grk. N.T., p. 321). ((b)) Now, becoming a "born" son occurs without man's effort or merit, Jn. 1:13: this relation comes free of natural descent ("not of blood"), free of parental choice to have a child ("nor the will of the flesh") and even free from a husband's (lit. andros) will where the wife may not have willed it (Ibid., U.B.S. Grk. N.T.). John labors to show that salvation is apart from ANY imaginable human role, but is entirely God's doing! Islam thus greatly errs!

Lesson Application: In (1) CONTRAST to MAJOR teachings in Islam, (a) Jesus Christ is the Creator God Incarnate Who eternally co-existed with the Person of God the Father, and REVEALED Him to man as the final, SUPREME Prophet. (b) Jesus Christ prov ides salvation by faith alone through His atonement on the cross. (2) Thus, we (a) stand AGAINST the errant teachings of Islam, and (b) promote evangelizing Muslims in the truth of the Gospel through the power of God the Holy Spirit, Acts 1:8!

Conclusion: (To illustrate the sermon lesson . . . )

Since Islam influences its adherents to make fanatic commitments to it, one may wonder if we Christians can lead Muslims to Christ. Well, Acts 1:8 indicates God will equip us to disciple even Muslims. As encouragement to that end, consider these testimonies:

(1) The following witness was written by an Arab from Lebanon who graduated with an honors M.A. from the Islamic University of Al Azhar in Cairo, Egypt. He majored in Islamic law, and was appointed teaching sheik in mosques in Beirut, Tripoli and Sidon. He died in a conflict in Beirut, but before then, wrote: "When I was serving my religion . . . so many difficulties and problems came into my life, I began to think perhaps that was not the way God wanted me to serve Him. I became increasingly dissatisfied , and asked God that if this were not the way, would He please show me the right way.

After that I kept having a dream in which I was walking along a path that always ended at a church. Every time I had this dream I asked God if it had come from Him. And another thing -- I kept thinking of Christ. The picture of Him on the cross, with bl ood flowing from His wounds, kept imposing itself on my mind. This was even against my will, because I have been taught that Christ was not crucified. In spite of my continued rejection of Christ, this picture came to my mind more and more, and every time it happened I felt a great happiness. It seemed that Christ was ordering me to follow Him.

After a long time I finally decided that I wanted to accept Christ. But then I feared that He would not accept me because I had rejected Him for so long...There was still a struggle. I fought long against reason...But finally the heart drew the sword of love, and the battle ended with complete surrender to Christ." ("The Sword of Love," SIM NOW, Jul.-Aug. '89, p. 11)

(2) I myself grew up in Nigeria which once was a Muslim stronghold. Now, 50% of that nation is "Christian" in some form or another! I have seen the power of God alter a nation dominated by Muslims with a 100-year foreign missionary effort there. We can reach Muslims by God's power -- whether here or abroad! Let us do so!