"The Christian Warfare"
Eph. 6:'0-'7, 2 Cor. 10:1-5
The word "war" is a fairly common Bible word. There were times when God commanded the Hebrews to go to war. At other times they chose to make war with others. War is a state of hostility between nations, states, tribes, etc. All war is not the same. There are some 40 wars being fought even as I speak and most of these are "religious wars."
There are wars within a person. (cf. Rom. 6:1; 7:12-24). Perhaps you can identify with Paul as he cried out "O wretches man that I am"
There are carnal wars such as Osama bin Laden declared on us when he attacked the United States Sept. 11, 2001. This is very literally a carnal war, a war where flesh and blood will be lost, where many will die. Mohammed began his war to rule the world with his first war in 630 AD. When he defeated the army of Mecca he went on to fight many other wars. You will hear many tell you that the religion of Islam is a religion of peace. Don't believe this for one minute. Honesty demands that we look at the history of Islam anywhere and at any time and when we do we will find their advancement is due to carnal warfare. There are 10,000 "hate schools" (madrasses) in Pakistan today. Thousands of young Pakistani boys are taught daily to hate Christians and Jews.
I. THE PLACE FOR CARNAL WAR:
A. The Origin of civil government. (Rom. 13:1-7)
1. "ordained of God"
2. "every souls be subject" ie, law-abiding.
3. To disobey civil law is to disobey God.
4. "he is the minister of God"
5. No fear for the Law abiding citizen
6. Support civil government - pay tribute, ie. taxes
B. God’s First Arrangements for civil government.
1. "Patriarchal Law"
2. "Ordained by God"
3. God ruled the Patriarch, the Patriarch ruled the people.
C. Moses’ Law: (The Pentateuch) 5 books of Law. This was the highest code of ethics and morality the world had ever heard at that time.
1.Written on two tables of stone
2.Governed civil and religious matters
3.Was Theocratic, ie, God-ruled.
D. Jesus taught "Render to Caesar the thing that belong to Caesar" (Matt. 22:21)
E. "We wrestle not against flesh and blood... " (Eph. 6:12)
II. EARLY RESISTANCE TO ISLAM:
A. Remember Islam began with war and has advanced by war for 1400 years. Mohammed fought his first war in 630 AD. The Muslims conquered much of the Mediterranean world. They invaded Europe and finally marched into France where they were finally stopped at Tours, France, just 125 miles from Paris.
B. The Roman Catholic Church came to maturity in the 6th century. What Mohammed opposed was more Roman Catholicism that New Testament Christianity. He seems also to be opposing the Heresy of Gnosticism.
C. THE CHRISTIAN CRUSADES were military expeditions. The Jesuits of the Roman Catholic Church represent the militant arm of the Roman Catholic Church today. The word "crusade" is from the Latin word, "crux" meaning "cross". Those who joined the Crusades sewed the cross symbol on their tunics. The expression "To take the cross" meant to become a crusader.
1. Arabs had taken the Mediterranean area in the name of Islam in the 600's. Arabs ruled Palestine from the middle of the 6th century for the next 400 years.
2. Arabs ruled the "Sacred Places." They allowed limited access to these places by Christian Pilgrims. Even to this day Arabs control the Temple site, the 'Temple of the Rock," the 'Temple of the Dome.” Jews are not allowed any closer than the "Weeping Wall."
3. Motives of the Crusades were:
a. Religious to visit, maintain sacred sites
b. Commercial, to sell goods, trade, etc.
c. Political. To expand kingdoms, etc. Jerusalem had been taken by the Arabs in the early crusades of the Muslims. Christian Crusaders took the city for a while and then Arabs took it again in 1071.
4. The Crusades begin: A Coalition between the Byzantine Emperor, Alexius Comnenus and Pope Urban II to join forces and fight the Turks. Pope Urban II called for an assembly of churchmen and nobles at Clermont, France in 1095 AD. He aroused the assembly with a stirring sermon. They shouted "God wills it." Thousands enrolled in the first crusade. The first crusade was led by Peter the Hermit. That crusade began in 1096 and ended in failure in 1099. Many starved to death. Eastern Europeans killed the rest.
5. The Knights did much better. They were trained warriors. Separate armies left Europe in the Autumn of 1096 AD. Some traveled overland and others by ship. They were marching toward Jerusalem. Many bloody battles were fought along the way. Crusaders arrived at Jerusalem in the Summer of 1099. The battle to take Jerusalem took six weeks.
6. A second crusade began in 1147 and ended two years alter. The Turks defeated this crusade.
7. The Third Crusade was the result of the Turks taking Jerusalem. This crusade began in 1189 AD and continued to 1192 AD. Germany, France, and England joined to form this third Crusade. They won many battles under the able leadership of King Richard (the Lion Hearted) of England, but they could not take Jerusalem.
8. The Fourth Crusade and most serious of the Crusades began in 1201 and ended in 1204 AD. This was a political war to overthrow the Byzantine empire. The war ended with that overthrow and Jerusalem was not taken.
9. Those who led the Crusades became interested in the Western world, America, colonies, etc. and there were no more Crusades.
10. Crusades:
a. Were evil
b. Islam is evil
c. Two wrongs don't make a right.
III. WHERE DO YOU DRAW THE LINE? If you choose to read the Koran you will find many references to the Bible. William Muir, the Koranic scholar, has meticulously catalogued the passages where the Koran refers to the Bible. His book is The Coran. Muir tells us there are some 150 such passages. You will find references to Moses, Abraham and Jesus. This is somewhat confusing. What did Mohammed know or believe? Could he read and write? No one knows. Nothing remains of anything he ever wrote. What seems to be the understanding of Mohammed about Christianity seems to have come from two sources: The corruption of the Roman Catholic Church and a heresy called
Gnosticism.
A. The ROOT OF ISLAM IS INFIDELITY. (The refusal to believe what God has clearly revealed. R. T. France, in his book "The Evidence for Jesus," says "All such reconstructions of Jesus, the canonical gospels, which are regarded as a deliberate distortion of the truth." (p. 14)
1. Every false prophet must first undermine our faith in God's word.
a. Joseph Smith did this with his Book of Mormon
b. Mary Baker Eddy did it with her book "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures."
c. Examples: JW’s with their version and commentaries; the many “new” versions of the Scriptures.
d. Every false prophet must claim he has received a “revelation.”
B. Mohammed did all this, for instance, in denial of the bodily resurrection of Jesus.
The words of the Koran are: "'they said (in boast) / '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 of a surety / They killed him not- / Nay, Allah raised him up / Unto Himself,' (Yusuf Ali's translation of the Koran) Surah 4: 157-158).
2. The Death, Burial and Resurrection is the very heart of the Gospel. What did Paul preach? (I Cor. 15)
a. "the gospel"
b. “the gospel the Corinthians received "
c. "the gospel which saves"
d. "Christ died for our sins - according to the scriptures." Such was prophesied. For Example, see Is. 53
e. "he was buried, rose again on the third day, according to the scriptures."
The Resurrection was witnessed by:
(1) Cephas
(2) The “twelve”
(3) About 500 at one time
(4) Then by James, then the apostles
(5) Then by Paul
IV. SALVATION ACCORDING TO MUSLIMS:
A. Matter of good deeds balanced against evil deeds. Such as alms, diet, etc.
B. No dependence on Jesus, the Savior.
C. No cleansing in the Blood of the Lamb
D. No place for the Grace of God.
E. No Salvation in Islam
V. SAVED BY GRACE THROUGH FAITH. (Eph. 2:8,9)
A. "Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound?" (Rom. 6:1)
B. Muslims have continued in the sin of bloodshed, polygamy to this very day. This is their way of life for the past 1400 years. Due to pressure from the Westem world some places such as Indonesia have become more tolerant. However, no missionary is allowed in Saudi Arabia and many other Muslim countries today.
C. Christ died for the ungodly. (Rom. 5:8,9)
D. "If ye believe not...ye shall die in your sins" (Jno. 8:24). Muslims do not believe in Jesus Christ, the Savior.
E. Jesus promised, "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved " (Mk. 16:15, 16) Muslims neither believe nor are baptized.
F. Paul tells us "The grace of God has appeared... " (Tit. 2:11)
1. "that brings salvation...
2. appeared to all men
3. that teaches us
4. to deny ungodliness
5. to deny worldly lusts
6. to live soberly
7. to live righteously
8. to live godly lives.
G. Every unbeliever is lost. Do you believe?
H. Faith must be confessed. (Rom. 10:10). Have you confessed.
I. One must be baptized into Christ (Gal. 3:25-27; etc.). Muslims don't baptize. Have you been baptized into Christ?
J. Are you ready to meet Christ at the judgment?