Bible Study

What will the redeemed see and do before the throne of God?

In this sermon on Revelation 7:9-17, Dr. Toby Holt connects Palm Sunday and Passover with John's vision of an innumerable multitude from every nation standing before God and the Lamb. He explains why salvation belongs to God, how Christ's blood makes sinners white, and why heaven's greatest joy is God's presence with His people.

Questions this sermon answers:

1. How does Revelation 7 fulfill the imagery of Palm Sunday?

2. Who are the people in the great multitude wearing white robes?

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, accusing the missionaries of proclaiming "another king — Jesus." Holt notes the real opposition is spiritual, and contrasts the angry crowd with the fair-minded Bereans, who...

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 the evil one, calling for a champion to defeat him.

2. How does David point to Christ? Like David, Jesus is the unlikely Champion from Bethlehem who...

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 through sin and now awaits its redemption — a brokenness we feel deeply.

2. How can we be sure of a brighter tomorrow? Because of Christ. Our future glory is guaranteed by His resu...

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 infinitely greater.

2. What happened when the temple was dedicated? God's glory filled the house, and the people bowed in worship, praising His goodness and enduring mercy.

3. How do we...

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, pledging His faithfulness.

2. How reliable are God's promises? Utterly. Unlike human promises, His word never fails — He keeps covenant and mercy across generations.

3. What promises has God made...

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 — even using ravens to bring him food.

2. What happened with the widow of Zarephath? Down to her last meal, she trusted God's word through Elijah, an...

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 few.

2. Why did Christ send the disciples without provisions? To teach them to depend on God's provision rather than their own resources as they se...

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 rejected God's appointed prophet — and, through him, God Himself.

2. Why was the judgment so severe? Because the offense was against the LORD's messenger and message. To d...

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 that this towering God stoops to care for us, crowning humanity with honor and dignity. We bear His image, and the God who set th...

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 life's fleeting seasons and the search for meaning "under the sun."

2. Why does life seem futile "under the sun"? Because apart from God, everything passes an...

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 his failures nor his achievements. He pressed forward toward Christ.

2. What was Paul's aim? To "press toward the goal fo...

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" in our pain does not mean God loves us less. Moses, Elijah, Jeremiah, David, and Paul all cried out the same way. Bringing our questions to God is...

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 the fate of those who had died.

2. How did Paul comfort them? By assuring them they belong to the light and the day, not to the darkness, and ar...

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, but John corrects the rumor. Holt explains Jesus' words point to His coming in judgment on Jerusalem in A.D. 70, when the temple was de...

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, tend My sheep, feed My sheep. Love shows itself in faithful service. Jesus then foretells Peter would one day die for Him, and closes...

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 week later Jesus returns and offers exactly that. Thomas already had ample evidence — and face to face with the risen Christ, he gives the Bible's clearest conf...

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 where the body had lain. Then Mary, weeping, mistakes Jesus for the gardener — until He speaks her name.

Questions this stud...

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 debt is paid in full — nothing left for us to add — and the Old Testament sacrifices are complete. To confirm His death, a soldier pierces His side, and blood and...

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 charge in three languages and refuses to change it. The soldiers gamble for His seamless robe, unknowingly fulfilling Scripture written a thousand years earlier.

...

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." The two talk past each other — one of eternal truth, the other of politics. Finding no guilt, Pilate offers to release a prisoner, but the crowd demands Barabbas. The gu...

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 rooster crows. Holt contrasts the faithful Rock, Christ, with the faltering Peter — yet this same Peter would later be restored and used mightily.

Ques...

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 only that His disciples go. When Peter cuts off a servant's ear, Jesus heals it and says, "Shall I not drink the cup which My Fath...

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 "sanctified" by God's truth. The comfort: Jesus says He has kept all whom the Father gave Him, losing none.

Questions this study answers:

1. What is t...

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 have overcome the world." The victory was already secured. Holt recalls Horatio Spafford, who lost his children at sea yet wrote, "It is well with my so...

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 born neutral "free agents"; the Bible says we are by nature turned from God until He changes our hearts. But Jesus promises the Helper, who testifies...

What does it mean to "abide" in Christ?

In John 15:1-8, Jesus calls Himself the true vine and His followers the branches. Dr. Toby Holt explains what it means to "abide" in Christ — and why it is a matter of life and death.

A branch cut off from the vine withers; believers are completely dependent on Christ. To abide is to stay closely connected to Him, drawing life from Him daily. The Father even prunes His people, cutting back good things for better ones. The proof of living faith is fruit.

Questions this st...

Who is the Holy Spirit? In John 14:15-26, Jesus promises His followers "another Helper" who will be with them forever. Dr. Toby Holt explains who the Holy Spirit is and what He does in every believer. The Spirit is not a vague force but a Person — Helper, Comforter, Counselor — who comes to live permanently within God's people, a greater privilege than even Old Testament saints knew. Jesus links love for Him with obedience, and the Spirit teaches, convicts, sanctifies, and gives courage.

Questions this study answers:

1. Is the Holy Spirit a force or a Person? A Pe...

Where do you turn when your heart is troubled?

In John 14:1-6, with the cross just hours away, Jesus comforts His fearful disciples. Dr. Toby Holt opens some of the most reassuring words in all of Scripture.

The disciples are shaken — Jesus has spoken of leaving, of a betrayer, of Peter's denial. Into that fear He says, "Let not your heart be troubled," promising a prepared place in His Father's house. When Thomas admits they don't know the way, Jesus answers: "I am the way, the truth, and the life."

Questions this study an...

Why did Jesus wash His disciples' feet?

In John 13:1-17, the Lord of all kneels down to wash the dirty feet of His disciples. Dr. Toby Holt explains the stunning humility — and deeper meaning — of that act.

Foot-washing was the lowest servant's job, yet Jesus takes the towel and basin Himself. When Peter protests, Jesus says, "If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me," pointing to the deeper cleansing only He gives. Even Judas's feet were washed.

Questions this study answers:

1. Why did Jesus wash the disciples' feet...

When God spoke aloud, why did some hear only thunder? In John 12:27-36, the voice of God the Father booms from heaven — yet the crowd dismisses it as thunder. Dr. Toby Holt explores why people explain away even the clearest signs from God. As the cross draws near, Jesus prays, "Father, glorify Your name," and the Father answers audibly. Some say it merely thundered. Jesus says His death will judge the world, defeat its evil ruler, and draw people to Himself.

Questions this study answers:

1. Why did some hear God's voice as only thunder? Because a...

What does "Hosanna" really mean?

In John 12:12-19, crowds wave palm branches and shout "Hosanna!" as Jesus enters Jerusalem. Dr. Toby Holt explains what they were really asking for — and how they misunderstood their King.

"Hosanna" means "save us now." The crowds wanted a king to free them from Rome, but Jesus rides in on a humble donkey, as Zechariah foretold — a King who came first to save His people from sin. Within days many in that crowd would call for His death.

Questions this study answers:

1. What does "Hosanna" mean? It m...

Why do people really come to Jesus? In John 12:1-11, two people sit at the same table with very different hearts: Mary, who pours out her treasure on Jesus, and Judas, who only wants to use Him. Dr. Toby Holt examines the motives behind our worship. Days before the cross, Mary anoints Jesus with perfume worth nearly a year's wages and wipes His feet with her hair — humble, extravagant love. Judas objects that the money should go to the poor, but he is a thief who cares only for himself.

Questions this study answers:

1. Why di...

Why does God wait when we're hurting? In John 11:1-27, Jesus deliberately waits two more days before going to His dying friend Lazarus — arriving after Lazarus is in the tomb. Dr. Toby Holt asks why God sometimes waits when we are hurting.

Jesus loved Lazarus, yet let him die — not from neglect, but for a greater glory. Martha trusts God even as she grieves, and Jesus responds with a staggering claim: "I am the resurrection and the life." Our comfort in suffering is the presence and promises of God.

Questions this study answers:

1. Why...

What makes Jesus the Good Shepherd? In John 10:1-21, Jesus calls Himself "the good shepherd" who lays down His life for the sheep — spoken, surprisingly, in the middle of conflict. Dr. Toby Holt unpacks this beloved picture of Christ. Jesus speaks not in a peaceful pasture but to hostile leaders who had thrown out a man He healed. Against their failure, He is the true Shepherd who feeds and protects His flock and willingly dies for the sheep. He also speaks of "other sheep" — the Gentiles He would gather.

Questions this study answers:

1. What does a sh...

How can a holy God forgive the guilty? In John 8:1-11, religious leaders drag a guilty woman before Jesus and demand she be stoned — hoping to trap Him. Dr. Toby Holt shows how Jesus answers, and how the gospel solves an impossible problem.

God is just and must punish sin, yet how can a just Judge forgive the guilty? The leaders think they have cornered Jesus, but He says, "He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone first." One by one they leave. He tells her, "Neither do I condemn you; go and si...

Why did so many walk away from Jesus?

In John 6:60-71, a large crowd that had eagerly followed Jesus suddenly turns and leaves. Dr. Toby Holt examines the hard teaching that thinned the crowd to a faithful few.

The people loved Jesus' miracles, but when His teaching grew hard, many grumbled and left. What drove them off was His teaching that no one can come to Him unless the Father draws them — salvation is God's gracious work. When Jesus asks the Twelve if they will leave too, Peter answers for them.

Questions this st...

Did the crowd want Jesus, or just His bread?

In John 6:1-15, Jesus feeds thousands from a boy's lunch of five loaves and two fish. Dr. Toby Holt shows the miracle is a sign — and a test of what the crowd really wanted. Jesus tests Philip, then takes the loaves and fish, gives thanks, and feeds everyone with twelve baskets to spare — the giving of thanks pointing ahead to the Lord's Supper. When the crowd tries to make Him king by force, He withdraws.

Questions this study answers:

1. Why did the people follow Jesu...

Can doing good ever break the Sabbath? In John 5:1-18, Jesus heals a man unable to walk for thirty-eight years — and the leaders are furious, because He did it on the Sabbath. Dr. Toby Holt contrasts Christ's mercy with man-made rules.

At the pool of Bethesda, Jesus heals the man with a word: "Rise, take up your bed and walk." The leaders object that carrying a mat breaks the Sabbath — one of dozens of extra rules. The deeper offense: Jesus calls God His own Father, making Himself equal with God.

Questions this study answers:

1...

What is the "living water" Jesus offers? In John 4:1-26, Jesus crosses deep social barriers to meet a Samaritan woman at a well — and offers her "living water." Dr. Toby Holt shows how Jesus seeks and satisfies thirsty souls.

Jews and Samaritans despised each other, and this woman came alone at midday, an outcast. Yet Jesus asks her for a drink and offers water that ends all thirst, gently exposes her past, and reveals Himself as the Messiah.

Questions this study answers:

1. Who were the Samaritans? A despised, mixed people whom the Jews av...