Bible Study

Why does the gospel stir up so much trouble? In Acts 17:1-15, the message of Jesus turns whole cities upside down. Dr. Toby Holt explains why the good news unsettles the world — and why that is exactly what it is meant to do. In Thessalonica, Paul reasoned from the Scriptures for three Sabbaths that Jesus is the Christ who had to die and rise. Some believed, but jealous opponents stirred up a mob,...

How is the story of David and Goliath really about the gospel? In 1 Samuel 17, a shepherd from Bethlehem defeats a giant who defied the living God. In this sermon, Dr. Toby Holt shows how this famous account foreshadows Christ — the Gospel in Old Testament clothing. Questions this sermon answers: 1. How was Goliath like the serpent? He was a defiant enemy of God's people — a "proxy" for...

Why do Christians experience both glory and grief? In Romans 8, Paul describes the tension of the Christian life — a glorious future secured, yet present suffering not yet ended. In this sermon, Dr. Toby Holt explains the "already, but not yet" reality believers live in. Questions this sermon answers: 1. Why does all creation "groan"? Because the world was subjected to futility...

Why is worship hard for so many people? For many, worship feels unnatural — and in 2 Chronicles 7, we glimpse why true worship matters so much. In this sermon, Dr. Toby Holt shows that genuine worship grows from knowing the character of God. Questions this sermon answers: 1. Why is worship difficult? Because we are used to glorifying ourselves. Worship redirects our hearts to glorify Someone infin...

Can God's promises really be trusted? The Bible is full of promises — some made by men, many made by God. In this sermon (Deuteronomy), Dr. Toby Holt contrasts our flimsy, often-broken promises with the iron-clad faithfulness of God's covenant word. Questions this sermon answers: 1. What is a covenant? A binding promise or relationship. God repeatedly bound Himself to His people by covenant, pledg...

Will God really provide for His children? In 1 Kings 17, God feeds the prophet Elijah by ravens and sustains a starving widow through a famine. In this sermon, Dr. Toby Holt shows how the God who provided then will look after His people now. Questions this sermon answers: 1. What was Elijah's situation? He was in hiding from wicked Ahab and Jezebel, and God provided for him in the wilderness — eve...

What has God called His people to do? In Matthew 9-10, Jesus sees the crowds, has compassion, and sends out laborers into the harvest. In this sermon, Dr. Toby Holt explores the directions Christ gives His disciples — and the tasks He entrusts to us. Questions this sermon answers: 1. What is the harvest field? The world full of lost people. Jesus says the harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are...

What really happened with Elisha and the bears? In 2 Kings 2, a crowd of youths mocks the prophet Elisha, and two bears maul them — a passage many find puzzling. In this sermon, Dr. Toby Holt explains what was actually happening and what it teaches us about God. Questions this sermon answers: 1. What was so sinful about the mocking? This was no harmless teasing. A gang of young men contemptuously...

Why would a God this great care about you? In Psalm 8, David looks at the night sky and asks, "What is man that You are mindful of him?" Dr. Toby Holt shows how God is both towering above all things and tender toward each of us. David is overwhelmed by God's majesty — the heavens, moon, and stars, all the work of His fingers. Against that vastness, people seem tiny. Yet the wonder is tha...

Is there really "a time for everything"? In Ecclesiastes 3, the Preacher reflects on the seasons of life — a time to be born and a time to die, a time for war and a time for peace. In this sermon, Dr. Toby Holt explores the rhythms of our existence and where lasting meaning is found. Questions this sermon answers: 1. Who wrote this passage, and why? Traditionally Solomon, reflecting on l...

What is the finish line of your life? Every choice we make moves us toward some destination. In Philippians 3, Paul presses on toward the goal of knowing Christ. In this sermon, Dr. Toby Holt asks where your life is heading, and how to run toward the right finish line. Questions this sermon answers: 1. What does our past have to do with our future? Paul refused to be defined by his past — neither...

Is it okay to ask God "why"? In this bonus study from Job 10, Dr. Toby Holt asks a question every hurting believer has felt: is it allowed to bring God our raw, grief-filled "why"? Job, the most righteous man on earth, tells God plainly that he loathes his life and wants to know why God is contending with him. God is big enough to receive our honest laments — asking "why&q...

Will you walk in the light or the darkness? In 1 Thessalonians 5, Paul reminds believers that they are "sons of light" living in a dark world. In this sermon, Dr. Toby Holt calls Christians to live as agents of light amid the shadows of this age. Questions this sermon answers: 1. What were the Thessalonians anxious about? The future — especially the coming "day of the LORD" and...

Would the apostle John never die? A rumor once spread that the apostle John would never die. In John 21:20-25, the very end of the Gospel, Dr. Toby Holt explains what Jesus actually said — and what He really meant. When Peter asked about John's future, Jesus replied, "If I want him to remain till I come, what is that to you? You follow Me." People took this to mean John would never die,...

Can Jesus restore you after you fail Him? Yes. In John 21:15-19, the risen Jesus meets Peter — who had denied Him three times — and gently restores him. Dr. Toby Holt shows that failure is not the end for those Jesus loves. Over a breakfast on the shore, Jesus asks Peter three times, "Do you love Me?" — one for each denial. Each time Peter says yes, Jesus gives a charge: feed My lambs, t...

Is it wrong to doubt? Not always — but doubt can blind us to plain evidence. In John 20:19-29, the risen Jesus meets the doubting disciple Thomas. Dr. Toby Holt looks at faith, evidence, and the scars of Christ. On the evening of the resurrection, Jesus appears in a locked room, shows His wounded hands and side, and gives peace. Thomas, absent, refuses to believe unless he can touch the wounds. A...

What proof is there that Jesus rose? In John 20:1-18, Mary Magdalene finds the tomb empty and meets the risen Lord. Dr. Toby Holt walks through the evidence that Jesus truly rose from the dead. Mary comes while it is still dark and finds the stone rolled away. Peter and John find the grave clothes lying in place and the face cloth folded by itself — not what robbers would leave. Two angels sit whe...

What did Jesus mean, "It is finished"? In John 19:25-37, Jesus speaks His final words from the cross: "It is finished." Dr. Toby Holt explains why those three words are the heart of the gospel. From the cross, Jesus entrusts His mother to John. Then, having borne the full weight of God's judgment against sin, He cries, "It is finished," and gives up His spirit. The de...

Why call a crucified man a king? In John 19:14-24, Pilate fixes a sign above the dying Jesus: "The King of the Jews." Dr. Toby Holt shows how the cross is the true throne of the King. Jesus is handed over on the day the Passover lambs were prepared — the true Lamb dying at the appointed hour. He carries the crossbar to Golgotha and is crucified between two criminals. Pilate writes the ch...

What is truth? "What is truth?" Pilate asked Jesus that question and walked away without waiting for the answer. In John 18:28-40, Dr. Toby Holt examines the trial of Jesus before the Roman governor. The Jewish leaders bring Jesus to Pilate because only Rome could carry out an execution. Pilate questions Him about being a king, and Jesus answers, "My kingdom is not of this world.&qu...

How could Peter deny Jesus three times? In John 18:12-27, the bold disciple Peter denies even knowing Jesus — three times in one night. Dr. Toby Holt shows how quickly confidence can collapse, and how grace meets us in failure. After Jesus is arrested, Peter follows at a distance and warms himself at the enemy's fire. Three times he is asked if he knows Jesus, and three times he says no. Then the...

Why didn't Jesus resist arrest? In John 18:1-12, a small army comes to seize one unarmed man in a garden — and Jesus steps forward to meet them. Dr. Toby Holt shows that Jesus went to the cross willingly. Judas leads soldiers to Gethsemane. When Jesus says, "I am He," the armed party draws back and falls to the ground — a glimpse of His true power. He could have walked free, but asks onl...

What did Jesus pray for you? On the night before He died, Jesus prayed for His people — including those who would believe through the ages. In John 17:1-19, Dr. Toby Holt opens what is called the High Priestly Prayer. As the true and greater High Priest, Jesus prays first for the Father's glory, then for His disciples — not that they be taken out of the world, but kept from evil and "sanctifi...

How can we have peace in a hard world? In John 16:25-33, on the night before His death, Jesus promises His followers peace — even as He warns them trouble is coming. Dr. Toby Holt shows where lasting peace is found. Jesus tells the disciples plainly they will soon scatter and abandon Him, yet He does not leave them in despair: "In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I h...

Can anyone stay neutral about Jesus? No one is truly neutral about Jesus. In John 15:18-27, Jesus warns His followers that the world will hate them as it hated Him. Dr. Toby Holt explains why there is no spiritual middle ground. Because they belong to Christ, the disciples no longer belong to the world, which will treat them as it treated their Master. Holt takes apart the idea that people are bor...