 We all have our notes, so let's move along. So starting here, we're gonna look at answering Islamic objections. You can see there are seven, I'm sorry, six, okay? Six different objections, corruption of the Bible, the Son of God, the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, the Trinity, the deity of Christ, and Muhammad in the Bible, okay? Each of these issues, these are like, if you familiarize yourself with these objections, you know, you pretty much, you hit the whole gamut, you know, because most Muslims will always bring up these issues, you know, and these are the things that you're gonna deal with. And so as we start off here at the very top, I put before we know the word of God, we must know the God of the word. 1 Corinthians 15, one through three, Paul says, you know, that which I received, I give also to you. And so we cannot give what we don't possess. So I would say at the very top of the page, once again, is we need to be so familiar with the truth. You know, sometimes people get so steeped and they're studying cults and, you know, world religions and Islam or whatever, and they start just studying that religion really well, but then they begin to not know their own Bible, you know, and they begin to start to get so saturated in that. But we need to make sure as Christians that we are in the word of God daily, that we are in prayer, that we are practicing the spiritual disciplines of the Christian walk, you know. And by the way, I just wanna actually throw out another invitation to you. Me and another brother, he actually, he asked me if I would join him in fasting tomorrow. So I wanna give that invitation to you if you would like to fast, that would be awesome because the more the better. And I would challenge you, I would invite you, if you wanna fast with me and this other brother, we're gonna fast tomorrow. Everyone does it different, like, you know, I'll fast with my wife, you know, and sometimes she'll say, you know, I'll do breakfast, you know, she'll do like, you know, lunch and dinner or like breakfast and lunch or whatever, she can't do sometimes an entire day. And so it's like, great, you know, whatever we can do. But I'll normally fast from sunrise to sunset when the sun goes down, you know, I'll break fast with the dinner. So if you wanna do that, that would be awesome. And we can fast for the Muslim world. We can fast for the community. We can fast for those who are fasting now in a lie. And we can fast unto the living God. So you know what? I wanna encourage you and invite you if you wanna do that with me. And boy, I think we should just like, you know, even on Facebook, just say, hey, does anybody wanna join us in fasting, you know? So I wanna throw that invitation out to you, okay? Now, apologetics, because we're gonna be dealing with that. The Greek word, apologia, is A, a verbal defense, B, a reason statement or argument. Christian apologetics deals with the ability to provide an answer or a defense to those who criticize, oppose, or question the revelation of God, Christ, and the Bible, as well as biblical doctrines. So I wanna look, before we begin to look at a couple of scriptures here, turn with me to Jude chapter, Jude verse three, actually, there's only one chapter in Jude, Jude three, and we're gonna read that, Jude three through four. He says, beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints. For certain men have crept in unnoticed, who long ago were marked out for this condemnation, ungodly men who turn the grace of our God into lewdness and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ. And even just that last phrase right there where they deny our Lord Jesus Christ. Well, this is exactly what the Islamic religion is doing. It is denying that Jesus Christ is Lord. Therefore, they are in this category, if you will, okay? So he says right here, contending earnestly. This is what we're doing. Now remember though, we need to back up. We are contending, but our contention is not primarily with the people, but with forces of darkness, okay? We cannot forget that as Christians, that we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and hosts, Ephesians six, okay? But behind the Islamic religion are those forces of darkness and we obviously are contending in discussion and engaging with the word of God, with those who are in flesh and blood. Let's go to 1 Peter 315. 1 Peter 315, but sanctify the Lord God in your hearts and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear. What a powerful verse. Sanctifying the Lord God in your hearts, setting him apart and being always ready, always being ready. I need to know what I believe and I need to know why I believe it. I should be able to explain to my children, why do we do the things we do? And sometimes they ask questions that you're like, oh, I don't know. That's a good, let me go find out, let me look that up. And people will ask us and we need to be ready to be able to give an answer. So we need to know what we believe and why we believe it. You see several times here the word defense used in Acts 22 verse one. For example, let's just turn right there, Acts 22 1. You see Paul using this word, which is Apologia, several times throughout the New Testament. And he is giving a verbal defense or a reasonable, a reasoned statement why he believes what he believes. In Acts 22 verse one, he says, brethren and fathers, hear my defense before you now and turn with me, jump over to 2 Timothy, there's some other scriptures there, but turn with me to 2 Timothy 4.16. 2 Timothy 4.16, Paul says, at my first defense no one stood with me, but all forsook me, may it not be charged against them. And you know, you might, in this kind of ministry where you're engaging with Muslims especially, you're a rare people. There are not too many who are engaging with Muslims and doing Muslim ministry, but God has called us. God has called you. You just have to realize you are particularly here today, tonight. God has called you. I pray so that he's called you here and you're here by divine providence. God has called you here and he's calling you out and he wants you to stand for his name, to stand for his honor and to speak his word and to give a defense. And look at some other scriptures there. Acts, I put there Acts 9 verses 20 through 22. Paul uses the word, speaks of him proving, he was proving. And then in Acts 9, 29, it says disputed. In Acts 18 verse four, it says he reasoned and persuaded them. So there's so many different words to describe the ministry that we do. It's not always lovey-dovey. It's not always gonna be nice and, you know, one of the things I realized with Muslims in particular is sometimes the conversations can rise a little bit in volume, but we always have to remember to come in love. We always have to come in love. And they are a very passionate people. You know, I've talked to so many people that have experienced that. Even Pastor David was sharing about just, you know, seeing some men talking and just seeing how loud they were getting. And they were just, it's just normal for them, you know, to get that way. And so for me, I was very challenged with that because I am more of a shy, more quiet, I'm more passive. And so that was very challenging to me to be involved in that kind of a ministry. But John 832, it says, "'And you shall know the truth "'and the truth shall make you free.'" Let us never forget once again that they are a people, the Muslims, who are bound in darkness. They are people who have been bound by Satan. And only the truth that is found in the scripture, in the spirit of God, can make them free. And I've said this before, but I'll say it again, is your life is so powerful. Remember that what the world needs to see is not just another Christian spewing off more arguments and saying the same thing, but they need to see a life that is sold out to Christ. A life that is willing to love them and to speak to them in love and tell them the truth. That's what they need. The Muslim world needs to see genuine Christianity. You know, and especially when you really think about it, especially here in the West, when there are millions, I mean, not millions, but there are hundreds of thousands, I should say, of churches in the United States of America. So we're flooded with Christianity. But where are those that are really reaching and are like one-on-one with a Muslim? Not many. And so we have to remember that. You may be the only Christian that a Muslim may come encounter with. You may be the only one. And so what are we going to leave them with? What kind of the, what fragrance of Christ are we going to leave with them? So let's look at the first objection here. The corruption of the Bible. This was something that time and time again, they would say to me, but you can't trust the Bible. The Bible has been corrupted. It's been changed. It's been altered. Okay, so let's look at that. God has revealed throughout history four holy books containing God's word. Now this is in the mind of the Muslim. Okay, this is how the Muslim is thinking. The Torah, the Psalms, the Gospel and the Quran. Okay, remember the Torah for them is the Torah. The Psalms, the Zabur, the Gospel, the Injil and then the Quran. God gave these books to his holy prophets to communicate his will to mankind and lead them in the straight path. The first three holy books were revealed to the Jewish people. For a period of time, they were perfect and preserved by God. However, at one point the Jewish people and Christians began to change and corrupt God's word, removing what they didn't like and adding to it what they wanted it to say. Thus, God's final revelation and holy book was the Quran. It was given to correct the corruption that occurred previously and bring all people everywhere back to the straight path of God. Now, by the way, as a side note, every day when a Muslim prays five times a day, do you know one of the things that they pray in their prayer that they repeat five times every day? One of the things they pray is and lead us in the straight path. Lead us in the straight path. And I find that very interesting because that's something that you can even take and build upon that they are praying, they are asking God to lead them in the straight path. And Jesus told us that he is the way, the truth and the life and no one comes to the Father through him. But they believe that the Quran came finally to correct the corruption that occurred previously and to bring everybody back to the straight path. So background, we must realize that the Quran clearly refers to the Torah, the Psalms and the Gospel of Christ as originating with God and directs people to read them in order to confirm the Quran. The Quran tells the Muslims, these holy books were from God and they were prior to the Quran being revealed. Okay, look at that. First in Surah 5 verse 46 concerning the Torah. It says this, and in their footsteps we sent Jesus the son of Mary. Okay, obviously it never says in the Quran Jesus the son of God because they don't believe in that. Jesus the son of Mary. Confirming the law that had come before him. We sent him the Gospel, therein was guidance and light and confirmation of the law, the law meaning the Torah that had come before him. A guidance and an admonition to those who fear a law. Okay, there are other references too that I gave you there. But it says clearly that the law came before Jesus and it was given as a guidance and a light. Okay, then speaking of the Psalms, the Zabur in Surah, in the Quran, Surah 17 verse 55 it says this. And it is your Lord that knoweth best of all beings that are in the heavens and on earth. We did bestow on some prophets more and other gifts than on others. And we gave to David the gift of the Psalms. So it's clear to them, according to their book here, that the Psalms was given to David and it was from God. And then last, the Gospel, the Inju, in Surah 5 verse 46 it says, and in their footsteps we sent Jesus the son of Mary confirming the law that had come before him, same thing. We sent him the Gospel, therein was guidance and light and confirmation of the law that had come before him, a guidance and an admonition to those who fear a law. Let the people of the Gospel, notice what it says, let the people of the Gospel, that's you and me, judge by what Allah hath revealed therein. If any do fail to judge by the light of what Allah hath revealed, they are no better than those who rebel. So it's saying that we as the people of the Gospel should judge, so they're encouraged to look to us that we're gonna judge and test the things that we see. Okay, but the problem is here, since there are discrepancies between the Quran and the Bible, the Muslims believe that the Bible was corrupted. They wrongly judge the previous and older revelation by the newer revelation. So even though they're told in their Quran that God sent down the law, the Torah, the Zabur, the Psalms and then the Gospel, and all of that was from God, perfect, yet they believe that the Quran came because these books somehow got corrupted. Somehow they got changed and then God had to bring down the Quran in order to correct all the discrepancies. So they are judging the previous and older revelation by the newer. Okay, so let's look at this. So here's the Christian's response now. Since God has revealed to mankind four holy books from heaven, not human, but divine in origin. Okay, I would always ask them. Okay, so now these books came from who? Who gave these books? They'll say from God. So you're saying God sent down these holy books. Do you believe that? They'll say yes. And it's indicated in their Quran. Why would God allow sinful men to corrupt his word? Does God love and honor his own word? Is God omnipotent and capable enough to preserve his word? Can the Quran be corrupted? Okay, so if you ask a Muslim, can the Quran be corrupted? They will say no, absolutely not. Because it says in their book that God preserves it and keeps it. And so I will turn to them and I will read to them these verses that we're gonna look at here in a little bit. That God, in his word, has kept and preserved the Bible. And if they believe that the Quran was preserved by God, then how is it that they believe that God somehow, he discriminated, apparently, because he allowed these to be corrupted, but this last one, no, he didn't allow it to be corrupted. It makes no sense when it came from God. If not, then why would he not preserve his previous holy books? Does God discriminate between his own holy books and only choose to honor his final revelation? No, absolutely not. So let's look at these verses, Psalm 12, verses six through seven. Now remember, I wanna share with you, even as you read from the Bible and you read these verses to a Muslim, they will respect you when they see that you hold the Bible as your final authority. They need to see Christians that respect, fear, and love the word of God, okay? Even if they don't agree with you, you have to remember that you are sowing seeds into their hearts. So in Psalm 12, verses six through seven, the words of the Lord are pure words like silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times. You shall keep them, O Lord. You shall preserve them from this generation forever. So God preserves his word. Isaiah chapter 40, verses six through eight. The voice said, cry out. And he said, what shall I cry? All flesh is grass and all its loveliness is like the flower of the field. The grass withers, the flower fades because the breath of the Lord blows upon it. Surely the people are grass. The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever. The word of our God stands forever. So I will very much emphasize that to my Muslim friends. The Bible says, God says, okay, don't be afraid to say, God says that his word stands forever. Nobody can change his word. His word stands forever. Matthew five, verses 17 and 18. Jesus said, do not think that I came to destroy the law or the prophets. I did not come to destroy, but to fulfill. For assuredly I say to you, excuse me, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. And you have, I'm sure you've heard that explanation that even in the Hebrew writing, one jot or tittle, those are even markings, okay, just the simplest thing as we would say maybe a comma or a period or a dot over an I, nothing will be changed. Everything, God's word is preserved and until every single word and every punctuation is fulfilled in the word of God. And that's his word. And then in Matthew 24, verse 35, heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will by no means pass away. So we believe that God's word is immutable. His word is preserved. Okay, now in the Quran, notice what it says in Surah 18, verse 27. And recite and teach what has been revealed to thee of the book of thy Lord. None can change his words and none wilt thou find as a refuge other than him. So since the Quran directs Muslims to go to the Bible and to judge by the light of what Allah hath revealed, confirming that the Bible came before the Quran and it is God's standard by which to judge everything, then we must conclude that the Quran is corrupted and possibly human in origin. Okay, so one of the things that I've shared with a Muslim is this illustration. I say, okay, if I'm standing right here and we're looking at that door over there and I say, you know what that door is? Six and a half feet tall. And you say, no, I think it's seven feet tall. Who of us is right? You have your opinion, I have mine. Well, we don't know who's right until we bring the measuring tape. And I said, okay, so the measuring tape all through history, the word of God has been given and the Bible says in Galatians one that if we or an angel from heaven, if anyone else comes and gives you anything else other than what's already been revealed to you, you are to count that as a curse. And this is God's standard. This came before. You believe already that the Bible came down from God, but now you're taking the newer and you're testing the older by the newer when rather you should take what has been previously given and the newer should be tested by the older because this is what is genuine. I said in a bank, I lived overseas so whenever I'd go to the bank and you would give them a dollar or a euro and you would want to convert that, what do they always do? They take that dollar and they run it through a scanner to find out if it's counterfeit. And so I say to them, the reason why we as Christians cannot believe the Quran because they will say to me, why don't you believe in the Quran? Everything you're saying, it's all in the Quran. You just have to believe it. We believe in Moses. We believe in Jesus. We believe he did miracles. They'll talk about the things, they won't talk about the cross but they'll say, we believe Jesus. He was a good, he was a prophet. And I'll say to them, because I have run the Quran through the scanner, through the standard of the Bible and it doesn't meet up to it, okay? And so they have to know that there is a genuine but there is a counterfeit. And remember when Muhammad received the revelation of the Quran in that cave from the very beginning, the angel came to Muhammad and choked him and said, recite. And he said, I cannot. So after that revelation, Muhammad left the cave and he was afraid of his life. He believed that he saw a demon. He did not believe it was an angel. And so I would bring that up to them and I would say, he believed that he saw a demon. How do you, what do you think he should have done? He should have tested it by the scripture. What do we find in the word of God? Do we ever find an angel coming and choking a man and stealing fear and terror into the heart of a prophet? No, we find joy, we find love, we find awe, okay? And so we need to take them back to the scripture and we need to look at what the scripture says concerning that. Okay, so since this is a serious problem, then it demands serious answers. Okay, so here is another issue. When the Muslims say the Bible has been changed, it has been altered, we have to ask some serious questions. Who changed it? Okay, when a Muslim says, well, the Bible has been changed, I will say to them, okay, can you tell me who did it? What's his name? I wanna see his name and I wanna find out, I wanna research this man or group of people or women or who are they? They can never tell you. They cannot tell you one person. They'll just say, well, the Jews and the Christians did it. Okay, but who did it? When did it happen? Okay, if the Bible was changed, this is a big event. So we need to know dates, we should know time. Tell me when and let's look into that, okay? If the Bible was altered, then it must have been done after the Quran was revealed and compiled. Okay, do you know why we say after? If you ask a Muslim, okay, if you believe the Bible has been changed, do you believe it was changed before the Quran was revealed or after? Okay, most always they'll say, well, after, because in the Quran, remember, it says that God sent down the Injiu, he sent down the Psalms, he sent down the Torah. It came from God. So when was it changed? Well, after Muhammad came and the Quran was revealed, then the Jews started erasing things and changing things and saying, Jesus died on the cross when he didn't really, then they said that, you know, Jesus is Lord, he's the son of God, but he's not really the son of God, he's just son of Mary. So they changed it after. Okay, well, let's look at that, let's deal with that, because now it's gonna become a bigger problem for them. So how was it changed? Okay, if you say after the Quran was revealed, the Bible was changed, okay, well, how did that process take place? Okay, now you have to remember, all these questions you are asking your Muslim friend, they have never been challenged. I guarantee they have never been challenged because they live in a little box and they have never been challenged. You're shaking up their box and you're saying, tell me who, tell me when, tell me how, you know, in a loving way, but you're saying, you know, can you tell me? Let's look, I really wanna know because you tell me, I'm gonna go research it. Okay, but that's what you're doing, you're challenging them. Now they have a dilemma, now they have to come up with an answer. So how was it changed? It would have been virtually impossible for a person or persons to go throughout the known world. Okay, now think about it for a moment. By the time the Quran was revealed, the scriptures have already gone throughout the Roman Empire, okay? So the person who would change and alter the word of God had to approach everyone with the scriptures. They would have had to agree with them to surrender over the Bible or confiscate. Every Christian would say, yes, here's my copy, here take it, take it, and I'm giving it to you, yes, to go and change it. Then change all the Bibles and return them all to their owners. And their owners are all gonna receive it and say, okay, thank you, now I have my changed version. It's impossible. But see, once again, a Muslim is not thinking this. They don't think about this, but now you have opened that up. So what? Also, what has changed? Is it portions? Okay, are we talking about the story of Abraham? Are we talking about the story of Moses the burning bush? Are we talking about Jesus when he turned the water to wine? What story, what part, which one's yes, which one's no? Which verses, okay, are there particular verses that have changed? Okay, which ones? Show me. Okay, so all of these things we need to ask. That's why one of the greatest forms of apologetics is just simply asking a question. Jesus did that all the time. He did it all the time. Remember when they came to him and they said, where'd he get your authority? He says, I will ask you a question. John the Baptist, was it from God or from men, his authority? Boom, Jesus just asked a question, just dropped a bomb. Okay, and that's what we need to do, just ask questions, okay, now we need to, let's challenge them because they have never been challenged. And of course you can do your own studies and look into this, but there's an overwhelming evidence we have for the scriptures. I mean, when I've read it, when I've studied it, when we had Josh McDowell come here and share with our church, when I've read books, you know, different books, you know, that are out there, I mean, the evidence is overwhelming for the scriptures. There is no document in history like the Bible, okay? But these are the things that you will deal with and these are some ways that can help you to share with a Muslim. Okay, now let's deal with the second objection, the son of God. Excuse me as I get a drink. Now there could be a lot said on these subjects, you know, I mean, they could, you could have, you know, a week of classes, probably just talking about the corruption of the Bible, but we're just scratching the surface, okay? So the objection is this, the Quran teaches that Allah is God alone. He is the creator and originator of all things that exist. He is eternal. He is unique and the supreme one. He is unlike humans in many areas, one of which he has no parents, nor does he have any children. Okay, remember, this is in the mind of the Muslim. Allah neither was born, nor does he procreate. Therefore, for Christians to declare that Jesus is the son of God is blasphemous in the mind of Muslims and condemned strongly in the Quran. Muslims understand, as stated in the Quran, that we believe that our God married, had sexual intercourse with his wife and produced Jesus Christ. In other words, God's son. Okay, so this last statement that I gave you right here, this is what, I don't know, maybe 95% of the Christian world has no idea. The Christians do not know or understand that this statement is in the mind of the Muslims. When we say Jesus is the son of God and we worship and we love the son of God, they're thinking, man, you believe that God married and produced Jesus Christ. Okay, now, I understand. I understand what they're thinking. But see, that's where me and you have been called to come alongside them and say, remember what God said to Jeremiah the prophet? I'm calling you to tear down and root up and then to build. And we need to tear down those misconceptions and then build the truth, okay? So the Quran strongly emphasizes the oneness of God and condemns the belief that Jesus is the son of God. Here we go, Surah 112 verses one through four. Say, he is Allah, the one and only, Allah the eternal, the absolute, he begeteth not, nor is he begotten. And there is none like unto him. This is one that every Muslim in the world knows this verse. Okay? I remember it, I mean, because I heard it so many times, you know, we'll be talking and they would just, they would quote that, they would quote that verse, you know? And I, you know, hearing he begeteth not, they would tell me right away, he begeteth not, nor is he begotten. Lem-yelid wa lem-yulad. I just remember hearing that all the time. They would say that to me in Arabic, okay? So this is known in the minds of the Muslims. Surah 9 verse 30, the Jews call Uzair a son of Allah. Okay, I don't know who is Uzair. Maybe if somebody told me who is, what's the actual translation in English, I don't know who it is. So the Jews, they say call Uzair a son of Allah. And the Christians call Christ the son of Allah. That is a saying from their mouth. In this, they but imitate what the unbelievers of old used to say, Allah's curse beyond them, how they are deluded away from the truth. And I've given you several other references in the Quran. Okay, now, I took this portion here from an article in Daniel Macias from his ministry, The Open Gates, because this really explains it very well. And these are the things that I used in ministering to Muslims, but it explains it very well. The son of God is a metaphor that describes a unique relationship between two aspects, father and son of God's single essence. Now this is a very interesting subject, guys. You know, I've done this with other Christians. I've done this with my kids. I've done this with my wife. Sometimes I like to play the devil's advocate. And I'll say, you know, kids, let me ask you a question. Jesus is the son of God, right? Yes. What does that mean? Just ask another Christian. What does that mean that Jesus is the son of God? Explain that to me. You'll be very surprised how many people could actually explain that, okay? But this is a metaphor that describes the unique relationship between the two aspects of the father and the son. The son of Egypt, first of all, similarly means a man from Egypt, okay? In Arabic, when a Muslim says he is Ibn Miser, son of Egypt, it means a man from Egypt, okay? You would be Ibn Willeyt al-Mutahidah, okay? You would be a son of United States of America. It means your origin is here. You're from here. You grew up here. That's what you would be. Not a man begotten from the marriage of Turkey and Iran, okay? You know, we laugh and yet it's like, yeah, well, yeah, of course, okay? So when we say son of God, they're thinking one way and you're thinking another way, you know? It's like, you're not thinking what I'm thinking and that's exactly what's happening because they're thinking in the literal sense and they think that's what the entire Christendom believes that we believe in a literal relationship, a literal son, okay? It's the same thing with the son of Egypt and I will tell them, I will say to them, okay, have you ever heard you are a son of Morocco? Yes, what does that mean? Our son of the nation. Does that mean that Morocco has a wife? They'll say, no, no, what does that mean? Well, it means he's originally from here. Oh, okay, originally from here. Okay, so we're gonna start moving. Jesus is the son of God because his origin, his nature is deity. His origin is in heaven, okay? And we're gonna move along. Now, next, the Koran itself uses metaphorical language for Jesus, calling him a word from God. In Surah 3, verse 45, behold, the angels said, oh, Mary, Allah giveth the glad tidings of a word from him. His name will be Christ Jesus, the son of Mary, held in honor in this world and the hereafter and of the company of those nearest to Allah. So look at what it says. This is what it says to them, okay? But even in the Koran, it uses metaphorical language. Now, we have a lot of metaphors in the Bible, okay? The Bible says that we may abide under the shelter of his wings, okay? And I've heard great apologists say this, you know, so is God a big chicken in the sky? No, okay, the eyes of the Lord run to and fro all the earth. Have you ever thought about this? So does God have eyes? Does he have irises and pupils and eyelashes and is it like this with white and a color? No. The Bible says that he hears the prayers of the saints. So my question is, does God have ears? If he doesn't, what does he have? He hears, but he has no ear. I think about these things. So God can see, but not necessarily he has eyes. He hears, but not necessarily he has ears. He has emotion, but you know, God is God, okay? And you can discuss this and it's a great discussion to have. And the same thing goes to the Muslim. Bring it right back to them. I'll ask you, does God hear your prayers? Does Allah hear your prayers? They'll say yes. So does God have ears? Well, no, so how does he hear? I don't know, okay? It says in the Quran that God sits upon the throne. Okay, so my question is, what does he sit on? How is, explain that to me. How does he sit? Does he like bend from the waist? How is he seated? Okay, he has a throne. Is it a chair? How is it? Okay, so now once again, you're shaking him up, man. You're shaking him up, okay? This is a metaphor to explain something, okay? The Arabic language has two words for son. This is very important. Ibn, which is metaphorical, can be used in metaphor. And Weled, which is always literal, okay? In the Arabic word, whenever you hear Weled, this is the literal production of a father, a mother, husband, and wife producing a son. Jesus is a son in the Ibn sense, okay? And you actually have this in Hebrew. You know, you have, how many times have you heard of, I can't think of someone right now, my mind is blank, but bin, bin something, okay? You've seen that in the scriptures. Bin is in Hebrew, bin, which is son of, okay? In Arabic, it's ibn, okay? So once again, you have the ibn and you have Weled. I will use this illustration. Let me share this with you. In the Arab world, when their child is misbehaving, you know what they'll say to them? They'll say, ibn shaytan, they're saying, you're a son of Satan. And I'll ask them, have you ever heard that or used it? And they'll say, yeah, yeah, yeah. And I'll say, so let me ask you a question. You're calling your child a son of Satan. So is Satan married and did Satan produce your child? They'll say, no. What are you saying? You're drawing it out. What do you mean? They'll say, well, he's acting just like Satan. He's doing the works of Satan because Jesus does the works of God. And when you see Jesus, what did he say? If you've seen me, you've seen my father, okay? The Quran affirms that God could have a son if desired. Okay, this is like a twist in the story. Surah 39 verse four says, had Allah wished to take to himself a son, he could have chosen whom he pleased out of those whom he doth create. Even though in Surah 6, 101, it appears contradictory. It says that God cannot. But in this sort of, it says, if possible, if he wanted to, he would. Implying that it would be impossible for God to have a son. But in Surah 39, four, it still remains. So these two verses seem contradictory, but it says there. So anyways, but now you can explain to a Muslim as I've had the opportunity many, many, many times. So that now if I were to go up to my Muslim friend and say, okay, so what do we believe? What do we believe as Christians when we say Jesus is the son of God? And they will say, you do not believe that he is the literal son of God, but you believe that son is metaphorical, meaning his origin is divine. Meaning he comes from heaven. And when Jesus is called the son of God and called son of man, remember, meaning he is both God in nature and man. Okay, he is both God and man, but his origin is divine. And his nature, he does the works of God. So when we saw Jesus, we saw God. And you can tell a Muslim that. You can literally, and it's so beautiful because how many of us, you know, we're Christians in this room, but we mess up. We mess up. I would love it. And I think it's a challenge to my own faith to say, you know what, look at my life and what you see in my life is what Jesus would do. Imagine if you can say that, we should be able to say that. If you see me, if you listen to my words, the way I speak and what I do, the way I treat my wife, it would be like how Jesus would be. Now you can actually say that guys to a Muslim. If you wanna know exactly how God is, look at the life of Jesus. Jesus, everything Jesus was about, everything he did, every way he behaved, every word he said is exactly like God. That's powerful, okay? But then if I, I cannot say that, they cannot say that to me about Muhammad if they say, and actually that's another issue because in the Quran it says that Muhammad is the superior one and he is the best, the best human of all creation. Wow, that's a heavy thing to say because now if you begin to say, well let's look at the life of Muhammad. Let's look at how he treated his enemies. Let's look at how he treated women. Let's look at how he treated Christians and Jews and how he went and let's look at what history says that he slayed multitudes, cut off heads, fingers of old women, of children, let's look at that. So is this the best of all creation in God's eyes? So you know, you can look at that but we never have to be ashamed of Jesus Christ. That's the awesome thing. I can say, look at my Jesus. He's beautiful, he's awesome, he's God. Okay, now let's move on to the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. Another very important objection. So here it is, the objection. The Quran teaches that Jesus was not crucified as Christians believe but that rather when Jesus was about to be crucified and killed God caused Jesus to ascend to heaven. Thus be delivered from death and then God made another man who resembled the appearance of Jesus to be crucified. This is exactly what they believe. In addition, God will not permit someone to atone for the sins of another. Each person must pay for his own sins. A Muslim's own good works justifies him or lack of them condemns him. Okay, so first of all, they're good works. Look at what it says in the Quran in Surah 5 verse nine. To those who believe and do deeds of righteousness hath a law promised forgiveness and a great reward. Okay, now it tells them this that if they do these deeds of righteousness God will give them forgiveness. And of course at the same time there is no assurance that they will enter heaven. Okay, you don't know what's in the mind of God. God, because in their Quran it says that God on judgment day he can do whatever he wishes. Secondly, it says that there is no mediator. For the Muslim there is no mediator. In Surah 17 verse 15. Who receiveth guidance? Receiveth it for his own benefit. Who goeth astray doth so to his own loss? No bearer of burdens can bear the burden of another. Wow, there is no mediator. There is no one in Islam that can bear the burden of another. And yet what an amazing thing when I think of my Jesus, I think of the man, the man, the God man who came and took every one of your and my burdens on that day in one moment in time. He is the mediator. Okay, thirdly, for the Muslim he was not crucified. In Surah 4 verse 157, and this is again one of those verses that every Muslim is familiar with, that they said in boasts, we killed Christ Jesus, the son of Mary, the messenger of Allah, but they killed him not, nor crucified him. But so it was made to appear to them, and those who differ therein are full of doubts with no certain knowledge, but only conjecture to follow for a vassurity, they killed him not. Okay, so what is our response? There seems to be a contradiction in the Quran in Surah 4 verse 157, which what we just read here, saying that Jesus wasn't killed or crucified. And in Surah 3 verse 55, that God took Jesus straight up to heaven without dying. But in Surah 19 verse 33, Jesus says that he knows that he will die and resurrect. This is what the verse says. So peace is on me the day I was born, this is supposedly Jesus speaking in the Quran, peace be upon me the day I was born, the day that I die, and the day that I shall be raised up to life. So how could Jesus declare this about himself in the Quran if he wasn't going to die? Interesting, okay, just something to ask them. How is it that you believe Jesus didn't die, but then it says here in Surah 1933, that Jesus says the day that he will die, and the day that he was raised to life. Next, we deal with the crucifixion. This is really important. The fact that the crucifixion is not something that was an afterthought, but the crucifixion was prophesied in the Old Testament. Okay, Genesis 22, we're not going to, we don't need to look at it, but every one of us are familiar with the story. It is when God told Abraham to take his son, his only son, Isaac, and this is a very amazing passage, especially I think for the Christian, because if you read that whole chapter and meditate upon it, the whole thing is a picture, it is a type of Christ, and it is a prophecy looking forward to Jesus Christ who would come. Because there Abraham is taken up to a mountain and every Muslim believes in the same story, guys. That story is a great way to preach the gospel. And what I would do is this. I would ask them, are you familiar with the story of Abraham sacrificing his son? Okay, now let me back up here. For a Muslim in the Quran, they don't believe that Abraham sacrificed Isaac. They believe that Abraham sacrificed Ishmael, or was going to sacrifice Ishmael. Okay? For me, I don't argue about that. I don't talk about that because the more important thing is, I want to talk about the story and what was taking place and what did God provide from heaven? That is important. So I will ask them, do you know the story of Abraham? When God told him to sacrifice his son, mostly they'll say yes. And I'll say, can you tell it to me? And let them tell you the story and just listen to them. God was gonna provide and you can interject and say, well, didn't he do this? Yes. So he went up to a mountain, yes. He was about to kill his son, yes. And it was who now? Okay, it wasn't a mother and a daughter. No, it was a father and a son. Okay, I like to emphasize those things. So a father and a son went up a mountain. He was going to sacrifice him and God said, stop. I have seen your faith. And then what happened? Well, God provided a ram. Okay, so wait, this sheep, was it a female or a male sheep? It was a male sheep. Really? Okay, yes. Okay, it was a ram and God provided this ram from heaven to be now sacrificed instead of his son. And this is exactly what they will do. It's about 50 days after the end of Ramadan, every Muslim family in the world will take a sheep and they sacrifice one sheep per family, just like Passover. And they are doing this in commemoration of what Abraham did, okay? But the Muslim, imagine with me, every Muslim is doing this, but they have no idea that what they are doing is a foreshadowing of Christ. It speaks of Christ and it's right there in their own hands and they don't even know it. But that's where we need to come as the Christian, coming alongside by the work of the Holy Spirit, just like the Holy Spirit comes alongside and convicts the world. And you are called to explain that to them. And I will tell them, do you know that this story here is speaking of God, how he sent down a ram from heaven. Fast forward and you have John the Baptist declaring of Jesus, behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. And every one of those Jewish people understood what he was talking about. Now this is not the Lamb that every family has to sacrifice, but there is one and only one that has come not from earth, but come down from heaven. God provided, just like he did over here in Abraham. Now Jesus came down from heaven. He walked among us, but he was God in the flesh and he died on that cross, okay? But you can talk about that story. That story is a beautiful way. It is a great bridge to share the gospel with the Muslim because they can easily connect with you, okay? I would also, you can bring up Psalm 22, okay? They believe in the Zabur, they believe in the Psalms. Guess what, David talked about it. Let me read to you what David says in Psalm 22 and read to them this passage. Isaiah 53, I would ask them, do you know of the prophet Isaiah? That would probably say, no, I don't. Let me read to you this passage. This was hundreds of years before Jesus came and this prophet Isaiah spoke about the suffering servant, Jesus. Daniel, okay, I have talked to some Muslims that have heard of the prophet Daniel. Remember, they believe in like, what is it, 124,000 so they don't know all of them. But you can, I think Daniel, I will say Daniel, okay? Daniel, they will say, okay, Daniel the prophet. Let me read to you. Daniel 926, powerful verse, okay? Because it says, he will be cut off. The prince will be cut off and it says not for himself. It's talking about Jesus, that he was cut off not for himself, but for us. And then Zachariah 1210. Okay, where they will look upon him whom they have pierced. Okay, this is speaking of the nation of Israel. But all of this prophecy, it's not just New Testament, my friends. This was in the Old Testament, they all understood. The only difference between us and those Old Testament believers, we look back to the cross, they looked forward to the cross. That's the only difference. They were saved by faith in the Messiah but he hadn't come yet, but they were looking forward. We look back to the cross. But the cross is central to history. And then Jesus, Jesus spoke and foretold in the gospel accounts numerous times of his death and resurrection. So when the Muslims bring up this point once again and they say, we do not believe in the crucifixion, I will hit on these points and I will tell them, do you believe that Jesus was a prophet? They'll say yes. I'll ask them, do you believe that Jesus would lie to us? They'll say no, he will not lie. Well, let me tell you, Jesus, did you know that Jesus foretold and he said that he would die? Okay, let me show you. Check it out, Matthew 16, 21. Numerous times. Because remember guys, in their mind, once again, the Jews have changed it. The Christians, they are the ones who said, Jesus died on the cross but Jesus spoke himself to his disciples and told them to expect this. Matthew 16, 21. Okay, well it says here, from that time, Jesus began to show to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes and be killed and be raised the third day. Matthew, jump over to 17, verses 22 to 23. Now, while they were staying in Galilee, Jesus said to them, here it is, he says the son of man is about to be betrayed into the hands of men and they will kill him and the third day he will be raised up. Okay, Jesus said that, because remember, the Muslim believes that Jesus didn't die himself. God took him because God would not allow his prophet to die and be tortured and someone else looked like him. But wait, Jesus says, speaking of himself, he says the son of man. Okay, and you can take him to other verses because they might say, well, maybe he's speaking of someone else because he doesn't say me. He says speaking in the third person. He says the son of man. Okay, well you can find verses where Jesus, he says the son of man, he's speaking about himself. But he says they will kill him and the third day he will be raised up. Okay, and there's many other verses, you can check out those on your free time. Another point here, the many witnesses at the crucifixion, okay, let's consider this. When a Muslim says once again, it was not Jesus that died on the cross, but somebody that resembled Jesus. That's what it says, is it say that in the Quranic verse? So it was made to appear to them. Yeah, because in the Arabic, it's resemble, resembles him. Okay, then you bring up this issue as far as do you know that the mother of Jesus was at the foot of the cross? You ask your mother if she knows all her children. She knows her children. So you're telling me that Mary thought totally that that was Jesus and it actually wasn't, so she was deceived? No, my friend. The 12 disciples, okay, the disciples were there and many others that were familiar with him. These people saw Jesus. They knew that was Jesus. It was not someone that resembled Jesus. Another point here, historically it was an accepted fact that Christ was crucified. Within the first century, Flegon and Thalus, both Roman historians debated the cause of the darkness over the land when Jesus died and how long it lasted. The point being made here is these men, they were unbelievers, these historians in the first century and they were not debating whether Jesus died or didn't die, that wasn't an issue. They were debating and talking about what was the cause of the darkness over the land. It was a given. It was a given that Jesus died. It was done, it was a fact. Josephus, the Roman Jewish historian, who was not a Christian, wrote around 93 to 94 AD about the crucifixion under Pontius Pilate in his writings entitled Antiquities of the Jews. Okay, so you need to tell your Muslim friends. You know what, it's not just in the Bible, but also people who are not Christians wrote that Jesus died. They saw it, they were there. These are evidences, okay, facts, that Jesus died. The apostles, last point here, the apostles gave testimony to the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ and were willing to be martyred for this fact. This again is a huge, important evidence. Are you telling me that the apostles thought it was Jesus and it really wasn't and they were willing to go to horrific deaths because of this fact. Because Jesus died and rose again and they knew it with all their being, they were willing to go through the things they went through, okay? Peter being crucified upside down and all of the other apostles. The only one that didn't die a martyr's death was John. But horrific deaths, okay? Martyrdom, that is an important thing. Okay, let's go on to the next thing. The trinity, the objection. The Quran teaches the oneness of God. According to Islamic doctrine, Allah is not revealed as being triune in nature. One God revealed in three persons, as we believe. The belief in the trinity is condemned by God in the Quran. When Christians refer to the trinity, Muslims understand them to mean three gods. Many even think we worship the father, the son and Mary. Okay, many, many, especially when you leave United States of America and perhaps many here. But when I was overseas doing missionary work, many of them believe that it was us referring to the father, the son and Mary. And the reason being is because of Roman Catholicism, the huge influence over there. Because you have all that's surrounded by Europe and all of the Roman Catholicism that has been exposed there. And actually, in a lot of the Arab countries where I was in Morocco, there are still to this day churches and missions and there are nuns that are living and residing in a Muslim country. Doing works there, of course, they don't do evangelism because it is illegal. They just do ministry to just Catholics that come down into that country. But that was a discussion we had with some of the Roman Catholics in the church there. Because we had a Moroccan friend that came to the church wanting a Bible and they turned her away. They said, we cannot give you a Bible because you're a Muslim. And we would be in trouble with the police. And God brought her to our path and we gave her a Bible. But anyways, that is the influence there. Okay, so let's look at the Quranic references. In Surah 4, 171, it says, oh, people of the book. Okay, remember guys, that's us. Okay, you are the people of the book, this book. Commit no excesses in your religion, nor say of Allah, at, but the truth. Christ Jesus, the son of Mary, was no more than a messenger of Allah and his word. Okay, even that right there can be discussed. He is no more than his word. Okay, well, what do you mean he is God's word? Which he bestowed on Mary and a spirit proceeding from him. Okay, it says this. Jesus is a spirit proceeding from God. So believe in Allah and his messenger. Say not, trinity desists, it will be better for you for Allah is one Allah. Glory be to him, far exalted is he. Above having a son. To him belong all things in the heavens and on earth and enough is Allah as a disposer of affairs. Surah 573, it says, they do blaspheme who say, Allah is one of three in a trinity. For there is no God except one Allah. If they desist not from their word of blasphemy, verily a grievous penalty will befall the blasphemers among them. So it can be, you know, when you're reading the Quran, a lot of it's like very hard to understand because it doesn't, yeah, it just, the way it flows and the thoughts and everything. But we, you can obviously see right here, it's calling us blasphemers and we shouldn't believe in the trinity. Okay, so obviously they condemn the trinity. The Quran condemns it. Now let's look at the Christian's response. And if you've done any ministry with Jehovah's Witnesses, then you have dealt with this because they also don't believe in the trinity. We must understand clearly that the Bible never uses the word trinity. Okay, some, a lot of Christians may not even know that. It's like, what? Oh, I thought the trinity was in the Bible. No, it's not. In describing the revelation of God to us, however, throughout scripture, it is clearly taught that number one, God is one. Deuteronomy 6-4, Hero Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Mark 1229, Jesus answered him. The first of all the commandments is, Hero Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. So here you have God speaking in the Old Testament. You have Jesus confirming what God declared in the Old Testament, in the New Testament, affirming that, the oneness of God. 1 Corinthians 8, verse six, Paul the apostle says, yet for us there is one God, the father of whom are all things, and we for him. And one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we live. Okay, next point. The scripture teaches that number two, our one God is triune by the words used in Hebrew in the Old Testament to describe God. Which are, these are the words in Hebrew used to describe the word God, his title. El Eloah and Elohim. The word Elohim is used in reference to the one true God more than the others. So Elohim is the word which we find in the Old Testament used to translate the word God more than El and Eloah. Around 2,570 times in the Hebrew Bible. This word, which is Elohim, carries the meaning of compound unity or plural unity. Genesis one, one, in the beginning, God, that word is Elohim, which is a plural noun subject created. But the word created, which is a verb, is a singular verb, meaning one does this action. One person is doing the action. So it's Elohim, the compound unity, many in one doing one action, okay? So this is important for us to know as Christians. Next, the scripture teaches number three, three distinct persons are given the nature and attributes of the eternal God. Okay, so we're moving down the line. The Bible teaches all through the scripture and I would explain this to my Muslim friend. First of all, I always tell them, you need to know there is not one Christian, not one. You can't even find, not even a Roman Catholic that will believe in three gods. Nobody believes, not one Christian believes in three gods. I will tell them that, okay? We believe in one God and then take them to the words of Jesus, take them. Because this is Jesus, okay, my Jesus, the one I follow, my Lord says, the Lord God is one. So then it's like, okay, so you need to wipe that out of your mind, out of your brain. We don't believe in three gods, we believe in one God. All right, and then we explain these things. So the three distinct persons are given the nature and attributes of God. You find the Father is God and once again, there are multiple texts. If you study the Bible and just check it out, study it, you will find so many passages where the Father is referred to God, God, God, the Father is God. Galatians 1-1, I gave it to you here. Jesus is referred to God, I really like this one. There are many I could have given you, but I like this one and once again, this is like hitting two birds with one stone. You can use this with Jehovah's Witness, neighbors and friends. Romans 9, oh, it was an ax. Romans 9-5, Paul goes over all of the, where he says, for I could wish that I myself were a curse from Christ, from my brethren, my countrymen according to the flesh, who are Israelites, to whom pertain the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the service of God, and the promises, all of these blessings have been given to Israel, of whom are the Fathers and from whom, according to the flesh, Christ came, who is over all the eternally blessed God, amen. I love that, because it's like, boom. Can't get away from that, okay? Christ came, who is over all? It's referring to Christ. He is the eternally blessed God. And I love that, because Paul could have said, he's the eternal God. He could have said, he's the blessed God. He said, no, he's the eternally blessed God, okay? So Jesus is referred to God. The Holy Spirit is referred to as God, being God, okay? Acts chapter five, verses three through four. A story of Ananias and Sapphira as they lied, and he says, you have not lied to men, but to God. And then he said, you lied to the Holy Spirit, okay? And then he, so he's referring to the Holy Spirit being God. And there are other passages as well, okay? So we have the Bible teaches, there is one God. The Bible teaches that there are these three persons who are all called God and referred to as God. So God is awesome, transcendent and unique. Finite human minds cannot comprehend him. Otherwise, he would cease to be God almighty. He is beyond human understanding. God reveals himself as triune in nature. Therefore, we believe what he declares. Are there limits to the almighty? He will not violate his own nature, okay? Remember Isaiah 55 verses eight through nine says, so are my ways higher than your ways. And something that a Muslim already agrees with you is that God is almighty. You can ask them, do you believe that God is almighty, yes. Do you believe that God is incomprehensible, yes. Okay, so why is it, why can't, if God wants, if God declares himself, it's not that, not even that he wants to, I can't even say that. If God declares that this is who I am, God simply presents himself. He says, I am triune. The father is God, the son, Jesus is God and the Holy Spirit is God. This is who I am. How can you say, well, God is not that? You are limiting God. You are making God into your own image. And I would tell them I would be very careful if I were you because you are going to blaspheme. I've told him that. God is who he declares himself to. And the Bible, God's word says he declares himself as being three persons in one God. God can do anything. You can ask them, do you believe God can do anything? They'll say yes. So why can't God be three in one? Why not? Can you understand all that God is? No, I can't. Well, the Bible declares him to be, okay? So these are some of the things that you can share. Next, let's look at the deity of Christ. The objection is the Quran teaches that Jesus is nothing more than a prophet and a messenger of God. Although a very significant one, and although the Quran attributes things to Jesus that only God can do. In Islam, it is blasphemous to say Jesus is God. Okay, so let's look at some references here. Asura, five verse 17 in the Quran. It says, in blasphemy indeed are those that say that Allah is Christ, the son of Mary. Say, who then hath the least power against Allah if his will were to destroy Christ, the son of Mary, his mother, and all everyone that is on the earth, for to Allah belongeth the dominion of the heavens and the earth and all that is between. He created what he pleaseth for Allah has power over all things. I guess they, even in the translation, they're making it like King James. Surah 572, they do blaspheme who say, Allah is Christ, the son of Mary, but said Christ. Now, so supposedly God is declaring to Muhammad, this is what Christ said, oh children of Israel, worship Allah, my Lord, and your Lord. Whoever joins other gods with Allah, Allah will forbid him the garden, which is heaven, and the fire will be his abode. There will be, there will for the wrongdoers be no one to help. So according to this, according to what's in the mind of a Muslim, you're in my place because if I believe that Jesus is God is hell, okay? That's what they believe. So let's look at what is our response. There are misunderstandings in the mind of Muslims as to what the Bible declares concerning the deity of Jesus. We don't believe a man. Now this, we have to be, we're gonna look at this very carefully. We don't believe a man, Jesus, with a human body and all the human limitations was who God looks like and who he is. I want you to really kind of think about that. We don't believe a man, Jesus, with a human body and all the human limitations was who God looks like and who he is. It is not that a man made himself God, but that God made himself a man. That is huge. Just that explanation alone clarifies some fog in the mind of a Muslim. Because what they're thinking that you're believing is that we're saying this man, he became God. This man who you see, he's a man walking on the earth, eating, sleeping, going places. Well, this man, he became God. We're making him God. It's not that. It's that God became a man. Okay, let's unpackage that. Christians should say, now this is my very strong encouragement to you. Christians should say, God manifested himself in the flesh, or God clothed himself in human flesh, rather than saying Jesus is God. I want you to really think about that and I want to encourage you strongly because this came actually directly from a Muslim background believer, call them MBB, a Muslim background believer, a Muslim who came to Christ and after doing ministry and sharing with me as a Christian missionary said, you do a wrong thing when you say to a Muslim, do you know we believe Jesus is God? Okay, when you say that statement guys, when we are saying that and they hear that, Jesus is God. What they are imagining in their mind is that you're saying Jesus, as you see him here, two hands, two feet, hair, thus long, his eyes, whatever color, Jesus, that is God. So God has two feet in the heavens, God has hair, thus long, God sleeps, God eats. They're saying you believe that's who God is. But the fact of the matter is God took on human flesh, okay? God in heaven came down to earth because the way he was going to fulfill righteousness and the way God was going to pay for our sin was that he needed to take on a human body. He took on human flesh. Okay, so this is my very strong encouragement to you in dealing with Muslims in ministry to say God manifested himself. That is a different story. When you tell that to them, it's a different picture in their mind. God manifested, he revealed himself how in flesh. God could have said, I'm manifesting myself by becoming something else, but it's God manifesting himself in human body, okay? Philippians two, five through 11 is the best explanation of what occurred in the incarnation and humiliation. Let's turn to that passage real quick. And one of the things I noticed as we're involved in this ministry of ministering to Muslims, if you study the scriptures once again, and I don't know if I've said this, but sometimes the things we say, the things we say are actually not found in scripture. We're saying sometimes things and sentences and statements that are actually not said that way in scripture. So let's look at that. Philippians two, five through 11. Look at what scripture says. Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus, who being in the form of God did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made himself, that's a super important word, he made himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bond servant and coming in the likeness of men. Beautiful, beautiful. See, why do I have to change it? Why can't I just say scripture? Like, I don't know what's up with that. God came in the likeness of a man. Boom. You're just simply saying what God says. But when I start to say, well, let me share with you, do you believe that Jesus is God? Okay, well, let's just stick to the scripture because you're gonna confuse them. But once again, a lot of Christians, we don't know that because no one tells us that, right? But he came in the likeness of men and being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore, God also has highly exalted him and given him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow of those in heaven and of those on earth and of those under the earth and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. You can even, once again, you can even read this passage to someone that's open to listening. Read the passage and talk about it. But look at the words, look at the words what it uses. He was in the form of God and he made himself, in other words, it was something he took on. He did it voluntarily, he wasn't forced to. Jesus voluntarily said, I'm going to make myself of no reputation. So I'm going to become a man number one. And then secondly, after becoming a man, he made himself a bond servant. And then thirdly, Jesus voluntarily said, I am going to humble myself to the point of death. So it's the humility of Jesus. He went lower and lower and lower. Jesus took on flesh. Secondly, he became a bond servant. Thirdly, he came to the point of death on the cross. But beautiful words that he was found in appearance as a man, okay? So let's look at the next point here. God is all powerful and is able to do anything. Nothing is too difficult for God. All Muslims if asked, if they agree with this statement will agree, you can ask them. If this is so, if God can do anything and if God is all powerful, every Muslim will absolutely agree with you that God can do anything. Now that's another challenge. If you ask them, do you believe God can do anything? And they say, yes. Is there anything God can't do? Normally they'll say no. And I'll tell them there's one thing God can't do. God can't sin. God cannot do evil. And then that brings you to an issue in the Quran. Did you know that your God can do evil? My God can't. He won't. He won't do evil. Okay, so that's another issue of discussion there. But if, if this is so, then if God Almighty chose to come to the earth in the form of man, be born of a virgin, live a sinless life, do the acts of God on the earth, die, rise from the dead, and ascend to heaven, then he can do it. Okay? If God Almighty chooses to do this, then why not? And that is the question you can ask. If God chose to do this, why can't he? You tell me and leave them with the answer. Leave them on the defense. If God can do anything, you tell me why God can't do this. Why can't he? Okay? Now Christians believe that God cannot violate his own nature, nor can he do evil or sin, as I said. Ultimately, the Bible says of the Gospel, so let's look at this. First Corinthians one versus 21 through 24. It says, for since in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God. It pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. So in the world's eyes, it's total foolishness that God would become a man that he would die on a cross. Wait a minute. Normally a king would become victorious and do some, bring him into his kingdom and it's all upside down. In the eyes of the world, it's upside down. But God says, yes, I delight in that because it was in the foolishness of the message that the world doesn't know me. For Jews request a sign and Greeks seek after wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified to the Jews, a stumbling block and to the Greeks, foolishness. And I would add and to the Muslims, a stumbling block. It is a stumbling block guys. But you know what? If they don't stumble at your message, then you're not preaching the message, guaranteed. And that's the same for the rest of the world in our nation. If people are not stumbled at the message of the Gospel, then the pastor is not preaching the Gospel. But to those who are called both Jews and Greeks, Christ's the power of God and the wisdom of God. Man, that's awesome. Christ is the power of God. Never forget that and the wisdom of God. A Muslim doesn't understand the necessity of our Redeemer being God rather than simply a human, a prophet because they have no concept of the sinfulness of all men and that redemption requires a perfect sacrifice. The finite cannot redeem and propitiate for the finite. This is an important point. The finite, okay, I'm speaking of a human because we are finite. The finite cannot redeem and propitiate for the finite. Rather, the infinite accomplished it for the finite. Second Corinthians 521. And we know him who knew no sin, the Bible says. Who was that? Christ who knew no sin became, there's that word. It's beautiful. He became, he voluntarily took it on. He became sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God in him. Okay, the Muslim has no concept of this because for them in their minds, they actually believe, we touched on this, that Muhammad on Judgment Day will actually intercede for the Muslim so that Muhammad will speak on their behalf and allow the Muslims to come into heaven. But the problem is he's a sinner. Every man that has ever been born of a man and woman is a sinner. And actually I did not put this in here but this is one of the things I would share with them when I share about Jesus Christ. Why was he born of a virgin? Why was he born of a virgin? Because every person born of a man and woman is a sinner but Jesus alone is without sin. And Jesus was born of the virgin, okay? Because the nature, the sin nature is passed through the sperm of the man. It is the nature, the nature of man is passed through the man, okay? Jesus was born of the virgin. That is so important, so important. And the Muslims already believe in the virgin birth and you guys have a jewel right there to say, let's look at that, why? Why was a Muhammad born of a virgin? No, Jesus was born of a virgin. There is a reason for that. We need to get, man, excited guys, it's exciting. Let me share with you, this is an example that God gave me and I wanna share this with you. This example of people falling into a deep hole unable to save themselves. Okay, imagine with me a hole and people have fallen into this hole. This man wants the other guy to help him and he says, can you help me out of this hole? He can't because he's in the hole just as you're in the hole. So how are these people stuck in this deep hole? How are they going to get out of this pit? If everyone is in the same predicament as the other, it can only be one solution. It has to come from above. Someone from outside who has not fallen is the only one who can rescue. And so the only way that God can save us, the only way we can be saved from sin is someone without a sin nature can save us. It could not be Moses, it could not be Abraham, it could not be the most righteous prophet. And that's what I tell them. But it had to be a sinless one. And the only sinless one is God. I will tell my Muslims, there is only God and man. God is sinless, man is a sinner. And we believe that. Now of course, there might be discussion there. But I declare to them, every man is a sinner, everyone. All the prophets, God says it, but only God is sinless. And we believe in the Bible that God came in the form of flesh, remember. God manifested himself in the flesh and took on a human form. And that was Jesus. And it will be a stumbling block, guys. They will be offended, but that's okay. For the glory and the honor of God and with the love of Christ, it must offend. It will be a stumbling block, but we wanna bring them to the truth. The eternal word of God in the Bible, God declares of Jesus in John 1.1 and 1.14. Remember it says, in the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the word was God. Okay? And then in verse 14 it says, and the word became, once again, became, took on flesh. The word became flesh and dwelt among us. And then in Revelation 19, especially that one of Jesus' titles is the word of God. The Bible says that when Jesus comes on the last day, he is called the word of God. So he's called the word of God. John 1.1, in the Quran, we can say in your book, Jesus is called the word from God. And so God's word made flesh living. Interestingly enough, as I said there, the Quran also gives Jesus alone the title of God's word. Surah 4, verse 171. Look at what it says. O people of the book, people of the book, commit no excesses in your religion, nor say of Allah, ought but the truth. Christ Jesus, the son of Mary, was no more than a messenger of Allah and his word, which he bestowed on Mary and a spirit proceeding from him. So believe in Allah and his messengers. So this is something that I've shared with Muslims and the reasoning goes like this. Is God's word eternal and uncreated? Is God's word eternal? Yes, is God's word uncreated? Yes, it is uncreated. But ask a Muslim and let them answer and let them think through that. Do you believe that God's word is eternal? Yes, they will. Is God's word uncreated? Okay, God created a lot of things, but God is uncreated. What about his word? His word is uncreated. If so, then it is the same as God himself. So if a Muslim comes to that recognition that the word of God, God's word, we're not talking about guys, a book with paper, no. This is God's word transferred onto paper in English for us. But if they believe that God's word is eternal, then there is a dilemma. Because now you have two entities that are eternal. You have God and now you have his word. So I thought only God is eternal. But if you're saying now God's word is eternal and God is eternal, so there are two things that are eternal. If so, then it is the same as God himself, eternal just as God's word is eternal. Is Jesus called by God his word? And when you ask a Muslim, is Jesus called God's word? They will say yes. If not, you can show them in the Surah. Therefore, if God's word is eternal and uncreated, and Jesus is the word of God, then Jesus is God's eternal and uncreated word manifested in bodily form. Think about that. That's it. God's word taken from eternity, he simply was transferred to the earth, we tasted of his glory and he returned to eternity. And I share with Muslims this. I say, you know what? It's like simply I'm putting on a coat, okay? All God did was he wrapped himself in human flesh for 33 years and he returned to heaven. Is that impossible for God to do? No, no. God can do anything and that's what God chose to do. Now, something that I didn't put in here, but I wanna share this with you, there's a question that I would ask a Muslim because in the Quran, it says that they wanted to crucify Jesus, arrest him, take him and crucify him, but on the cross, he was switched and someone else appeared like Jesus. So here's the question. Why did the Jews want to crucify Jesus? Because they believe that. They believe that he was going to be crucified. The question is, why did they wanna crucify him? Okay, I ask you that. Why in the Bible, what was the reason they were going to crucify Jesus? Why? He claimed himself to be God. Tell a Muslim that. Because they may not know. I've had very many stumped and they don't know. They say there's no, we don't know. We don't know why. So he was gonna be crucified, yes, but why? I can tell you why. Do you wanna know why? In the Bible, it says that he blasphemed. Okay, so now the question is this. Did he blaspheme or not? Do you believe Jesus is a liar? They'll say no. Okay, so did he blaspheme or didn't he? If you say he didn't blaspheme, then in other words, you're saying that what he said was true. He was God and he is God. So you're dealing with some powerful weapons here, guys. This is the word of God and the word of God is living. It is living and sharper than any two-edged sword. Okay, furthermore, I'm gonna give you something else. Jesus, hear right down these scriptures. And once again, these are also, hit two birds with one stone. You can share these with Jehovah's Witnesses. Jesus is called in the Bible, the first and the last, just as God is called the first and the last in the Old Testament. Isaiah 44-6, Isaiah 44-6. And Isaiah 48-12, 48-12. And then in the New Testament, Revelation 1-8, Revelation 1-8, Revelation 1-17, 1-17, Revelation 2-8, 2-8, and Revelation 22-13, and Revelation 22-13, 22-13. So I would declare, I would share, again, if you have the opportunity, this is another very strong point. Jesus in the Bible is called the first and the last, the beginning and the end. Who else can declare that? Only God. Muhammad can't say that. No prophet dares say I am the first and I am the last. Man, no way. Jesus did, okay? Jehovah God did in the Old Testament. He said I am the first and the last. That's powerful. But then in the Revelation, Jesus said I am the first and the last. And if a person doubts that that's Jesus, then it says I was dead and behold, I live forevermore. Super clear, okay? Now, last objection. There are many Muslims. Now this is more, this actually is more in the West. This last objection, you don't really find this, Muslims talking about this in the Middle East and in the Arab countries. But this is more kind of a Western thing. But nevertheless, the objection is this, many Muslims will say that Muhammad, the final prophet of God to the world was prophesied in the Bible. However, we Christians are ignorant of these verses or they've been removed from the Bible. Okay, now, one of the issues, one of the things I would say, if a person does bring that up, I would say this, I would say, okay, well, let me ask you a question. Because don't you believe the Bible has changed and corrupted? So if you can't trust the Bible, then why are you pointing out verses that speak of Muhammad? Because that's a problem, if you can't trust it, then why are you trusting certain ones and saying those ones are good? These actually speak of Muhammad. But the rest of that stuff, no, I can't trust that. So why are you picking and choosing? You see what I'm saying? Okay, nevertheless, well, look at these passages. These are the passages that they will talk about and they will point to, okay? I want you to look at them. Deuteronomy 18, I've heard, I've listened to different speakers, Muslim speakers, leaders, quote these verses, and once again, a person, even if they shout or they sweat and they say all these things with great passion and zeal, just because they do all that doesn't mean it's true, but they do, and they're excited when they say it. Okay, but check it out. Deuteronomy 18, we need to look at it as believers with our hearts and with our minds and with all openness. Deuteronomy 18 verses 15 through 19. The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your midst. Now this is Moses speaking. Like me from your midst, from your brethren, him you shall hear. Okay, now, first, let's look at this. First of all, he says the Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet. So now the Muslims believe this is referring to Muhammad. He will raise up for you a prophet, but notice, like me. Okay, who's speaking Moses? Moses was what? Was he Muslim? Was he Arab? No, he was Jewish. So like me, like Moses, from your midst, from your brethren, the Jewish people, the Israelites. Okay, how in the world can Muhammad come from the Jewish nation? No way, no Muslim would dare say that that Muhammad came from the Jewish nation. Him you shall hear. According to all you desired of the Lord, your God in Horeb in the day of the assembly saying, let me not hear again the voice of the Lord my God, nor let me see this great fire anymore lest I die. And the Lord said to me, what they have spoken is good. I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brethren, and will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him. Okay, now, turn with me. Go to, okay, yes, jump down. I'm sorry. Continue, rather. Verses 20 through 22. But the prophet who presumes to speak a word in my name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or who speaks in the name of other gods, that prophet shall die. And if you say in your heart, how shall we know the word which the Lord has not spoken? When a prophet speaks in the name of the Lord, if the thing does not happen, or come to pass, that is the thing which the Lord has not spoken. The prophet has spoken it presumptuously, you shall not be afraid of him. So, God gives them two criteria, two. He says, okay, God, if you send us a prophet, how will we determine if this prophet is a true prophet or a false prophet? Two things. First, he says, if that prophet, okay, if he speaks a word in my name, and I have not commanded him to speak, or who speaks in the name of other gods, that prophet shall die. So first, if he speaks in the name of other gods, in other words, not in the Lord God of Israel that you are familiar with, then that prophet is a false prophet. If he is guiding you or leading you to another God, an entirely different God, it's false. Number two, if he gives a word of prophecy and says something is gonna come to pass, and it doesn't happen, then you know that that's not me, because obviously if God gives a prophecy, it will come to pass. Now, we're gonna deal with this on our later sessions, when we talk about how to communicate the gospel, but this is one of the points that I share with a Muslim, why Islam is not from God, and why Muhammad brought us to worship another God, because of the removal of the blood sacrifice, the removal of the blood sacrifice. The Muslim is telling me to worship a God who is saying you do not need a blood sacrifice. You can approach me without the blood of atonement. Okay, the Lord God of Israel, from Genesis all the way to Revelation. This God says there is no remission of sins, there is no forgiveness without the blood being shed. That is, that declares to us this God, who he is, the nature of God, okay? So to me, you are directing me to the worship of another God. This is not the God that I know. So I have to say he is a false prophet based on that. Okay, now you can go and check out Deuteronomy 13, one through five, later on. And then we see that this prophecy actually speaking, is speaking of Jesus in Acts 3, verses 18 through 26. This prophecy in Deuteronomy is fulfilled in Jesus. He is that prophet, because remember, he is not only the son of God, but he is also called our prophet. He is our prophet, he is our king. And remember, we talked about, he is also called our apostle, the apostle of our faith. Okay, but now if you turn with me to John 14, we covered a lot of things today, didn't we? It's already nine o'clock, sorry for keeping you here. John 14, these are the verses that a Muslim will point you to. And they're taking it right out of your Bible. Okay, but they're gonna point to Muhammad and say this is speaking about Muhammad. John 14, verses 16 through 17, and I will pray, Jesus is saying, I will pray the Father and he will give you another helper that he may abide with you forever. The spirit of truth whom the world cannot receive because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you. Whoa, that's a problem. Okay, so in the eyes of a Muslim, they're saying that helper, this is Muhammad. Okay, but wait a minute, he says he will abide with you forever, that's a problem. He's called the spirit of truth. Do you believe that Muhammad is called the spirit of truth? Okay, well, he's never referred to that ever in the Quran. And then he says here at the end, but you know him. Whoa, speaking to your disciples, they're in Israel. And he says, you know him. And he dwells with you. Wow, is Muhammad with them at that point? And he will be in you. It just gets worse. Okay, so I definitely don't believe this is speaking of Muhammad. Then read verse 26. But the helper, the Holy Spirit. So now like Jesus in order for us to know that it's clear as day, he says the helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name. Wow. Okay, if this is Muhammad, he is sending him in the name of Jesus. So did Muhammad come in the name of Jesus? Meaning under the authority of Jesus? No, he didn't. Okay, he will send in my name. He will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance. Oh, watch it. He will bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you. So everything Muhammad says then, it should bring everything to remembrance that Jesus said. In other words, basically saying this, what Muhammad teaches should be in line perfectly with what Jesus taught. And you have a big problem there because you got a lot of things off, okay? So no, that is not speaking about Muhammad. And then look at John 16, jump over a chapter. John 16, verse seven. Nevertheless, I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away. For if I do not go away, the helper will not come to you. But if I depart, I will send him to you. So once again, they believe this is speaking of Muhammad. And verse 13. However, when he, the spirit of truth has come, he will guide you into all truth. For he will not speak on his own authority. Watch it. But whatever he hears, he will speak and he will tell you things to come. He, verse 14, check it out. He will glorify me. That is a strong word to use. I tell you, that is a strong verb. He will not honor me. He will not respect me. He will glorify me. So I ask you, does Muhammad glorify Jesus? Don't use any other word. No, no, let's say the words that Jesus said. Does he glorify Jesus? No, no, no, no. He does not. For he will take of what is mine and declare it to you. So did Muhammad take everything that Jesus spoke of and present that to us? No, he didn't. Okay. So the spirit of truth will glorify Jesus. So now the sufficiency of the Bible is most important. The Bible, the whole Bible and nothing but the Bible. This is our standard. If it's true, then it isn't new. You may have heard this before. And if it's new, then it isn't true. Okay. Everything I believe and you believe is old, good old doctrine. It's old and it's true. Check it out. I love these verses. Isaiah eight, verse 20. To the law. I mean, this is a command. To the law and to the testimony. If they do not speak according to this word, right here that you and I hold in our hands, it is because there is no light in them. So I tell my Muslim friends, God tells me, go to the law, go to my word. And if it's not in here, then there is no light in whoever. Not just you, but whether it's a Mormon, Jehovah's Witness, anyone, if it's not found here, I'm sorry, I throw it out. Matthew 24, 11 and verse 24, then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many for false Christ and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. Second Corinthians 11, three through four, but I fear lest somehow as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. For if he who comes preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or if you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted, you may well put up with it. And that's exactly what we have. It is a different Jesus. The Quran is presenting us with a different Jesus. He is not the son of God, he is not God in the flesh, he was not crucified, he's not the second person of the Trinity. He is actually a weak, he is weakened, and that's what the enemy wants to do. He wants to make everything weak and lessened. Okay, second Corinthians 11, 13 through 15, for such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. And no wonder for Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works. Galatians 1, 6 through 9, I marvel that you are turning away so soon from him who called you in the grace of Christ to a different gospel, which is not another, but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven preach any other gospel to you, then what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. As we've said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches and not any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed. And 1 Thessalonians 521, test all things, hold fast to what is good. The last thing that I would share with you, one last point is that do you know that for the Muslims, they believe that it is not Abraham, not Moses, and not even Muhammad, but it is Jesus who will return from heaven to the earth and will establish God's kingdom on earth and confirm the religion. Of course, in the Quran saying then Jesus will bring everybody into Islam and cause everyone, but it is very interesting to me. And I would just point that out to them. Why not Muhammad? It makes no sense. He is their seal. He is the best. He is their prophet. And yet it's Jesus that is coming back. And you may know also the Jewish nation is also waiting for the Messiah. I remember when I was in Israel and you look from the wailing wall, you look opposite and it says the Messiah's coming or our Messiah's coming. And so how interesting in all these world religions in Christianity, in Islam and in Judaism, they're all waiting for the Messiah. But we have an opportunity, you and I have an opportunity to present the Christ of the scriptures, the Lord Jesus Christ.