When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am? And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets. He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. (Matthew 16:13-17)

Our Prayer

• For the Muslims of metro Atlanta: our neighbors, coworkers, and classmates.

• For our missionaries serving among Muslim peoples.

• For boldness to speak and gentleness in how we speak.

• That the Father would reveal the Son, as He did to Peter.

Introduction: The Question (0:00–0:07)

Quick Quiz: True or False?

1. Muslims believe Jesus was born of a virgin. TRUE (Qur'an 19:20)

2. The Qur'an calls Jesus "the Messiah." TRUE (Qur'an 3:45)

3. Muslims believe Jesus is the Son of God. FALSE (Qur'an 19:35)

4. Muslims believe Jesus died on the cross. FALSE (Qur'an 4:157)

5. Muslims believe Jesus will return. TRUE (Qur’an 43:61; 4:159; hadith)

"Muslims say many right things about Jesus, and miss the one thing that matters most."

Why This Matters

• About 2 billion Muslims: roughly 1 in 4 people on earth [1]. Pew projects near parity with Christians by 2050 [2].

• Millions of Muslims live in the U.S., and metro Atlanta's Muslim community is large and growing [3].

Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. (John 14:6)

• Exclusivity of Christ: There is no salvation apart from personal faith in Jesus Christ as Lord.

The Question Behind Tonight

• Jesus asked: "Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?" (Matthew 16:13)

• The crowd's answer: "one of the prophets" (Matthew 16:14).

• That is Islam's answer. Two billion people say Jesus was one of the prophets.

• Then Jesus asked: "But whom say ye that I am?" Peter: "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God" (Matthew 16:15-16).

Tonight we learn why Muslims say "one of the prophets," and how to lovingly point them to Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

I. “Whom Do Men Say?” The Story of Islam (0:07–0:20)

Arabia Before Islam

• Arabia around AD 600: desert tribes, trade caravans, and blood feuds. No king and no central government.

• Mecca was a trade and pilgrimage town. The Kaaba, a cube-shaped shrine, held about 360 idols, and tribes came from all over to worship there [26].

• Allah (“the god”) was already known in Mecca as a high god, alongside many lesser gods and goddesses.

• Jews and Christians lived in Arabia. Their stories of Abraham, Moses, and Jesus were known — often secondhand [7].

• The Quraysh tribe ran Mecca and grew rich from the pilgrims. Muhammad was born into this tribe [5].

KEY LINE: “Islam was born in a city full of gods — just like Caesarea Philippi.”

Muhammad at a Glance

• Born about AD 570 in Mecca; orphaned young [5].

• About AD 610 he reported revelations from the angel Gabriel in a cave on Mount Hira. These became the Qur'an ("recitation") [5][6].

KEY LINE: "Here a Christian must slow down and open his Bible."

But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. (Galatians 1:8)

• The Qur'an denies the very heart of our gospel: the cross.

• AD 622, the Hijra: flight to Medina; year 1 of the Islamic calendar.

• In Medina he became a religious, political, and military leader. Mecca fell in 630; he died in 632 [5].

Mecca: The Rejected Preacher (610–622)

• Orphaned by age six, he was raised by his grandfather and then his uncle Abu Talib. He became a trusted merchant [26].

• At about 25 he married Khadijah, a wealthy widow about 15 years older. She became his first believer [26].

• After his first experience in the cave he was terrified and feared he was possessed. Khadijah and her Christian cousin Waraqa reassured him [26].

• For 12 years he preached one God, the coming judgment, and care for the poor. Few followed, and the Quraysh mocked and persecuted the small group.

• About 615, some Muslims fled to Christian Abyssinia (Ethiopia), where its Christian king protected them [26].

• 619, the “Year of Sorrow”: Khadijah and Abu Talib both died. Muhammad lost his wife and his protector.

KEY LINE: “In Mecca, Muhammad was a preacher with few followers and no power.”

Medina: The Prophet Who Ruled (622–632)

• Feuding tribes in Yathrib (later called Medina) invited him to settle their disputes. He came as a judge and stayed as a ruler [28].

• His followers raided Meccan trade caravans. Battles followed: Badr (624), Uhud (625), and the Trench (627) [26].

• In 627, after the Battle of the Trench, the men of the Jewish tribe Banu Qurayza were executed and the women and children enslaved [26].

• 628: the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah with Mecca. 630: Mecca surrendered, and the idols in the Kaaba were destroyed.

• By his death in 632, most of Arabia had submitted to Islam.

KEY LINE: “In Medina, the preacher became a statesman — and the message changed with him.”

The Pragmatism of Muhammad

Pragmatism means doing what works in the moment. Watch how the revelations moved with Muhammad’s circumstances.

• How he spoke of other faiths. In Mecca, with no power: “You have your religion and I have mine” (Qur’an 109:6). In Medina, with an army: fight the People of the Book until they pay the tax and submit (Qur’an 9:29).

• The direction of prayer. At first Muslims prayed toward Jerusalem. After the Jews of Medina rejected him, a revelation turned prayer toward Mecca (Qur’an 2:142–144) [26][28].

• Abrogation. The Qur’an says newer verses can replace older ones (Qur’an 2:106). Many Muslim scholars teach that later Medinan verses override earlier Meccan ones [8].

• The Kaaba. The pagan shrine was not abandoned. It was cleansed and kept, and its pilgrimage was retold as the work of Abraham and Ishmael (Qur’an 2:125–127).

• The treaty. At Hudaybiyyah he agreed to remove “Messenger of God” from the document to close the deal [26].

• Personal revelations. Muslim men were limited to four wives (Qur’an 4:3); a later revelation gave Muhammad an exception (Qur’an 33:50).

TEACHER’S CAUTION: Muslims see these as God guiding His prophet through new situations. Present them fairly, ask questions, and never mock.

When Jesus therefore perceived that they would come and take him by force, to make him a king, he departed again into a mountain himself alone. (John 6:15)

• When the crowds walked away, Jesus did not change His message to win them back (John 6:66–68).

• At Caesarea Philippi, the moment Peter confessed Him as the Christ, Jesus turned toward the cross (Matthew 16:21).

KEY LINE: “Muhammad’s path went from persecution to power. Jesus’ path went from power to the cross.”

Expansion and Division

• Within a century Islam stretched from Spain to Central Asia [7].

• Sunni (85-90%) and Shia (10-15%) split over who should lead after Muhammad [1][7].

• Smaller groups include Sufis and the Ahmadiyya, the community Nabeel Qureshi grew up in [12]. Note: many Muslims do not consider Ahmadis to be Muslims, so Qureshi’s family story is not typical of every Muslim home.

• After Muhammad came four “rightly guided” caliphs: Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, and Ali (632–661) [7].

• Jerusalem fell in 637. The Dome of the Rock was built on the Temple Mount about 691 [27].

• Under Uthman (about 650) one official Qur’an text was set, and other copies were burned [7].

• Spain fell in 711. The advance into France was stopped at Tours in 732 [27].

• The Sunni–Shia split hardened when Ali’s son Husayn was killed at Karbala in 680 [7].

• Authority: Qur'an, Hadith (Muhammad's sayings), and Sharia (law). See handout.

Qureshi describes learning to recite the Qur’an in Arabic as a young child, and how honoring the Qur’an and the Prophet was woven into everyday family life. (Qureshi, Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus [12])

TEACHING POINT: Most Muslims you meet are not theologians. Ask what they believe; don’t assume.

II. “One of the Prophets”: What Muslims Believe (0:20–0:27)

The Six Articles and Five Pillars are on the handout. Hit the highlights.

The Center of Islam

• Tawhid: God is absolutely one. The worst sin is shirk, giving God a partner (Qur'an 4:48) [6].

• Five Pillars: Confession, Prayer, Giving, Fasting, Pilgrimage [9].

Jesus in Islam

• The Qur'an presents Jesus as virgin-born, the Messiah, a Word from God and a Spirit from Him, a worker of miracles (Qur'an 3:45-47; 4:171; 5:110).

• But it insists He is not the Son of God and was not crucified; it was only made to appear so (Qur'an 19:35; 4:157-158).

KEY LINE: "A prophet can point the way to salvation. Only a Savior can provide it."

Salvation on a Scale

• Paraphrase of Qur'an 7:8-9: those whose good deeds weigh heavy will prosper; those whose scales are light have lost their souls [6].

• No original sin: people are weak and forgetful, not dead in sin [10].

• Even devout Muslims usually have no assurance of paradise.

KEY LINE: "Imagine living your whole life never knowing if you have done enough."

Honor, Shame, and Family

• Many Muslim cultures run on honor and shame more than guilt and innocence [11].

Qureshi describes Islam not merely as beliefs but as an identity woven through family and community. Questioning it felt like questioning his own parents. (Qureshi [12])

III. “But Whom Say Ye?” Three Differences That Matter (0:27–0:33)

KEY LINE: “Same vocabulary. Different dictionary.”

1. Who Jesus Is

• Islam: a great prophet, but only a man (Qur’an 5:75).

And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. (John 1:14)

• See also John 1:1; Colossians 2:9.

2. What Happened at the Cross

• Islam: Jesus was not crucified; God raised Him up to Himself (Qur’an 4:157–158).

For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: (1 Corinthians 15:3-4)

• Foretold centuries before (Isaiah 53:5). No cross, no gospel.

3. Whether You Can Know You’re Saved

• Islam: deeds on a scale; the outcome rests on Allah’s will (Qur’an 23:102-103).

These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God. (1 John 5:13)

• By grace through faith, not of works (Ephesians 2:8-9).

More differences (God, sin, Scripture, knowing God) are on the handout.

Common Ground That Opens Doors

• One Creator, prophets, Abraham, Moses, prayer, judgment, and high respect for Jesus [6].

• The Qur'an points readers back to the earlier Scriptures (Qur'an 5:46-47; 10:94) [13].

CAUTION: When a Muslim says "Jesus," "prophet," or "Gospel," ask what he means.

IV. “Thou Art the Christ”: Pointing Muslims to Jesus (0:33–0:38)

And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. (Matthew 16:17)

KEY LINE: “Only the Father reveals the Son. Our job: ask the question, open the Word, and pray.”

SUNDAY TIE-IN: “Last Sunday we said the key is the truth of verse 16 — carried with the King’s authority and turned by the Spirit’s power. Tonight we learn how to turn that key with a Muslim friend.”

1. Pray

• No one comes unless the Father draws him (John 6:44).

2. Befriend

• Hospitality opens doors: share meals; accept invitations. No pork or alcohol [16].

• Ramadan and Eid are natural times to reach out. Courtesies are on the handout.

Qureshi credits his friend David Wood’s years of patient friendship, and his willingness to wrestle honestly with hard questions, as the human bridge God used to bring him to Christ. (Qureshi [12])

• Ask the class: “Who was the David Wood in your story?”

3. Ask Three Questions

1. "What does your faith mean to you?"

2. "Do you know God will accept you on Judgment Day?"

3. "What do you know about Jesus?" [12][17]

4. Use Bridges

• Matthew 16 itself: "Jesus once asked His friends who people said He was. Would you read their answers with me?"

• Abraham's sacrifice: God provided a lamb (Genesis 22:8), pointing to "Behold the Lamb of God" (John 1:29) [17].

• Honor and shame: Jesus "endured the cross, despising the shame" (Hebrews 12:2) [11].

• The Camel Method: start with Qur'an 3:42-55 to raise questions, then go to the Bible. The Qur'an is a bridge, not an authority [18].

5. Open the Word

• Read Luke or John together. Faith cometh by hearing the Word of God (Romans 10:17).

• Common objections and answers are on the handout [13][19].

6. Count the Cost Together

Qureshi describes Jesus’ words in Matthew 10:37, about loving Him more than father or mother, as the passage that confronted him most. Following Christ meant breaking his parents’ hearts. (Qureshi [12])

KEY LINE: “If they lose their family for Jesus, the church must become their family.”

7. Dreams and Visions: What Do You Believe?

• Many Muslim-background believers report dreams or visions of Jesus in their journey [14][15]. Qureshi recorded dreams too, yet came to faith through Scripture over years [12].

• In one major survey, the factor cited most was the lifestyle of Christians they knew [15].

KEY LINE: "Dismiss every story? Accept every story? Or test every story by the Word?"

• Baptist conviction: God speaks with final, sufficient authority in His Word (Hebrews 1:1-2; 2 Timothy 3:16-17).

Scripture is “the supreme standard by which all human conduct, creeds, and religious opinions should be tried.” (Baptist Faith and Message 2000, Art. I [4])

• A dream saves no one and adds no new revelation.

• But God is free to stir the conscience and bring conviction, even in sleep (see also Romans 2:15):

For God speaketh once, yea twice, yet man perceiveth it not. In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falleth upon men, in slumberings upon the bed; Then he openeth the ears of men, and sealeth their instruction, (Job 33:14-16)

• The Cornelius pattern: the angel did not preach the gospel. He sent for Peter, who would bring it:

Who shall tell thee words, whereby thou and all thy house shall be saved. (Acts 11:14)

• Test it: a dream that points to the Jesus of the Bible, to the Bible, and to a gospel witness fits God's ways. A new message is rejected (Isaiah 8:20; 1 John 4:1).

KEY LINE: "If God is stirring a Muslim's heart in the night, He is counting on someone to be there in the morning with a Bible."

V. Islam and the End Times (0:38–0:43)

We have heard who Muslims say Jesus is today. Islam also tells a story about who Jesus will be at the end. Here too: same vocabulary, different dictionary.

Why Study This?

• Muslims have their own detailed story of the end times, and many of your Muslim neighbors know it well.

• Christians often ask how it relates to Bible prophecy. Our goal is to understand, not to speculate.

KEY LINE: "We study prophecy to be watchful, not to be fearful, and never to stop loving our Muslim neighbors."

1. Two Sons, One Promise

• Muslims trace their heritage to Ishmael; the covenant promise ran through Isaac.

Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ. (Galatians 3:16)

• The promise is ultimately not about a bloodline but about Christ. Any son of Ishmael can become a child of promise through faith (Galatians 3:29).

2. An Angel With Another Gospel

• Many Christians link Muhammad’s cave revelation to Paul’s warning in Galatians 1:8 (read earlier) and to this verse:

And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. (2 Corinthians 11:14)

3. Islam’s End-Times Story

How Islamic tradition itself tells it. Details vary between Sunni and Shia Muslims [23][25].

• The Mahdi ("the guided one"): a descendant of Muhammad who rules the earth with justice for about seven years (Sunni). Shia Muslims identify him with the hidden Twelfth Imam [23][25].

• The Dajjal: a false messiah and great deceiver who appears before the end [23].

• Isa (Jesus) returns, descending near Damascus. He kills the Dajjal, "breaks the cross," and rules by Islamic law. In other words, Jesus returns as a Muslim and ends Christianity [23].

• The same hadith say he will kill the swine and end the jizya (the tax on Christians and Jews), leaving Islam as the only option [23].

• Other signs of the Hour: Gog and Magog (Qur’an 18:94; 21:96), the sun rising in the west, and a beast from the earth (Qur’an 27:82) [25].

• A tradition speaks of a final battle in which Muslims fight the Jews [23].

Christian Writers and the Mahdi

• Some Christian writers, notably Joel Richardson [24], argue that the Mahdi of Islamic tradition resembles the biblical Antichrist: a world ruler, a seven-year covenant (Daniel 9:27), and a rider on a white horse (Revelation 6:2).

• Pastor Josh Howerton recently raised these parallels on a podcast [22].

• Many scholars disagree. The parallels depend on selected traditions, and Muslims themselves differ widely on the end times [25].

TEACHER’S CAUTION: Present this as one Christian view — not settled Islamic doctrine and not settled Bible prophecy.

4. What the Bible Says About the End

This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven. (Acts 1:11)

And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate. (Daniel 9:27)

And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer. (Revelation 6:2)

• Jesus warned that persecutors would believe they serve God:

They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service. (John 16:2)

And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. (Revelation 20:4)

5. Side by Side

• Jesus' return. Islam: Isa returns as a Muslim to break the cross. Bible: Jesus returns as King of kings to judge the world (Revelation 19:11-16).

• The deceiver. Islam: the Dajjal, a false messiah. Bible: the Antichrist, who denies the Father and the Son.

• The cross. Islam: broken. Bible: the Lamb who was slain is worshiped forever (Revelation 5:12).

• Who rules. Islam: the Mahdi and Isa under Islamic law. Bible: Christ alone, every knee bowing (Philippians 2:10-11).

Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son. Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: but he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also. (1 John 2:22-23)

KEY LINE: Back to our question, “Whom say ye that I am?” The Bible’s answer to the end of history is the same as Peter’s answer: Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God.

Conclusion: “But Whom Say Ye?” (0:48–0:50)

• Jesus' question is for us, too. If He is the Christ, the Son of the living God, then He is worth sharing.

Fill out your commitment card:

1. One Muslim I will pray for by name, or a people group (Joshua Project) [21].

2. One step I will take this week.

3. Pray for VBC's missionaries among Muslims.

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16)

KEY LINE: "The Jesus they call a prophet is the Savior who died for them. Let's go tell them."

Closing prayer.

Works Cited

[1] Pew Research Center, "How the Global Religious Landscape Changed From 2010 to 2020," June 2025.

[2] Pew Research Center, "The Future of World Religions: Population Growth Projections, 2010-2050," April 2015.

[3] Pew Research Center, "U.S. Muslims Concerned About Their Place in Society," July 2017.

[4] Southern Baptist Convention, The Baptist Faith and Message 2000, Art. I (The Scriptures), Art. IV (Salvation), Art. XI (Evangelism and Missions).

[5] Jonathan A. C. Brown, Muhammad: A Very Short Introduction (Oxford, 2011).

[6] The Qur'an, trans. M. A. S. Abdel Haleem (Oxford World's Classics, 2004). Qur'an references are paraphrased.

[7] John L. Esposito, Islam: The Straight Path, rev. 3rd ed. (Oxford, 2005).

[8] Jonathan A. C. Brown, Hadith: Muhammad's Legacy in the Medieval and Modern World (Oneworld, 2009).

[9] Sahih Muslim, Book of Faith, Hadith 1 (the "Hadith of Gabriel").

[10] Timothy C. Tennent, Christianity at the Religious Roundtable (Baker Academic, 2002).

[11] Jayson Georges and Mark D. Baker, Ministering in Honor-Shame Cultures (IVP Academic, 2016).

[12] Nabeel Qureshi, Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus: A Devout Muslim Encounters Christianity (Zondervan, 2014). Qureshi material is paraphrased.

[13] Norman L. Geisler and Abdul Saleeb, Answering Islam: The Crescent in Light of the Cross, 2nd ed. (Baker, 2002).

[14] David Garrison, A Wind in the House of Islam (WIGTake Resources, 2014).

[15] J. Dudley Woodberry, Russell G. Shubin, and G. Marks, "Why Muslims Follow Jesus," Christianity Today, Oct. 2007.

[16] International Mission Board, Muslim outreach resources, imb.org.

[17] Fouad Masri, Connecting with Muslims (IVP, 2014).

[18] Kevin Greeson, The Camel: How Muslims Are Coming to Faith in Christ! (WIGTake Resources, 2007).

[19] James R. White, What Every Christian Needs to Know About the Qur'an (Bethany House, 2013).

[20] Open Doors, World Watch List, opendoors.org.

[21] Joshua Project, joshuaproject.net.

Scripture quotations are from the King James Version.

[22] The Shawn Ryan Show, Episode #327, "Josh Howerton: In 50 Years, China Will Have More Christians Than America," August 2026 (Islam discussion begins about 24:16). Paraphrased.

[23] Islamic sources on the end times: Sunan Abu Dawud, Book of the Mahdi; Sahih Muslim, Book of Tribulations (the Dajjal, the descent of Isa, the battle with the Jews); Sahih al-Bukhari, Book of Prophets (Isa "breaks the cross"). Verify hadith numbers before teaching.

[24] Joel Richardson, The Islamic Antichrist (WND Books, 2009).

[25] David Cook, Contemporary Muslim Apocalyptic Literature (Syracuse University Press, 2005).

[26] Ibn Ishaq, The Life of Muhammad (Sirat Rasul Allah), trans. A. Guillaume (Oxford, 1955).

[27] Hugh Kennedy, The Great Arab Conquests (Da Capo, 2007).

[28] W. Montgomery Watt, Muhammad: Prophet and Statesman (Oxford, 1961).