To Nicodemus, it seemed like crazy talk.

But to Jesus, this was serious business. If God’s people are to be saved, we must first be ‘born again.’ So what does that term mean? And how does it happen? In today’s study, we’ll dive into the critical topic of regeneration.

Questions That We’ll Answer:

A) Who was Nicodemus, and why did he go to Jesus?

B) Why did Jesus say Nicodemus must be ‘born again?’

C) What are the implications for the rest of us?

web: fpcgulfport.org

It wasn’t just a miracle – it was a sign.

In John 2, Jesus attended a wedding. And at this wedding He performed His first recorded miracle (turning water into wine). So, what was this miracle really about? As we’ll see, it pointed forward to the cross – even if no one knew it at the time.

Questions That We’ll Answer:

A) Why did Jesus tell Mary that His ‘hour had not come?’

B) In what way(s) did this miracle point forward to Calvary?

C) How is John 2 a ‘bookend’ with John 19?

web: www.fpcgulfport.org

John the Baptist had one job.

John came to prepare people to meet Jesus. Specifically, he would ‘make straight the way of the Lord,’ as the prophet Isaiah had foretold. But the people wouldn’t listen. John would be a voice crying in the wilderness. He would be misunderstood, and eventually killed. And the same would happen to the Messiah.

Questions That We’ll Answer:

A) Why was John ‘baptizing’ people? What kind of baptism was this?

B) Why did John say ‘behold the Lamb’ when he saw Jesus approach?

C) What’s the difference between ‘appeasement’ and ‘atonement?’

Web: www.fpcgulfport.org

Christianity: rooted in history, backed by eyewitnesses.

In John 1, the author skips the greetings and goes straight to the heart of the matter: he and others saw, heard, and observed the Messiah. “The Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us,” he declared. In today’s study, we’ll consider the historical facts that support our faith.

Questions That We’ll Answer:

A) Why did John refer to Jesus as ‘the Word?’

B) In what way is Jesus also ‘the light’ that came into the world?

C) What are the implications of Christ’s incarnation to you and I?

website: www.fpcgulfport.org

Jericho had massive walls. It didn’t matter.

There are no walls that can deter God’s Wrath. And there is no army that can stop those who serve Him. In Joshua 6, we will study both points in one of the most famous (and faith-building) passages in Scripture.

Questions That We’ll Answer:

A) How big was Jericho’s outer wall? Did it have an inner wall as well?

B) What tool or weapon was used to bring the walls down?

C) What can we learn from the battle at Jericho that applies to us?

web: www.fpcgulfport.org

Is Jesus really the only way to God?

Hauled before the Sanhedrin for healing a lame man and preaching the resurrection, Peter — the same man who had denied Christ three times — now stands firm. In this study of Acts 4, Dr. Toby Holt shows how the ruling council demands to know "by what power or by what name" the apostles have acted, and Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, gives them the name: "Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead." The stone the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone — and, Peter declares, "Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:12).

Dr. Holt draws out the apologetic edge of this exclusive claim. The world prefers "all roads lead to heaven," because it does not offend — but to affirm Christ while validating every path that denies Him is, he says, to betray Jesus with a kiss. Jesus Himself said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me" (John 14:6). The claim was hated in Jerusalem, and it is hated now; but the singular question remains: have you trusted the one name that saves?

Questions this study answers:

1. What are the implications of "no other name" for other religions? That salvation is found in Christ alone. Peter's claim excludes every other path; to say all roads lead to God is to deny the very gospel the apostles died to proclaim.

2. What did this exclusive claim mean to Peter's audience? It confronted a works-based religion with the truth that no ancestry, ritual, or checklist can save — only the crucified and risen Christ whom they had rejected.

3. Why does such a claim provoke opposition? Because an exclusive Savior offends a culture that prizes inclusivity. The claim was rejected in the first century and is rejected today — which is exactly what Jesus said would happen.

"Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved." — Acts 4:12 (NKJV)

Speaker: Dr. Toby Holt is the President of New Geneva Theological Seminary, a Reformed seminary in Colorado Springs. He is known for clear, down-to-earth Bible teaching, and his sermons have been downloaded more than 1.9 million times on SermonAudio.

Listen and go deeper: This study is part of New Geneva Theological Seminary's teaching on apologetics and defending the Christian faith. Find more verse-by-verse teaching across the Bible at newgeneva.org. To support this teaching ministry, visit newgeneva.org/give.

The world is trying to remake you in its image.

Will you let it?

In Romans 12, the Apostle Paul reminds his readers that the world is intent on creating worldly people. That’s what it does. It wants to conform you and I to its own priorities. However, Paul tells Christians that we are NOT to be conformed – instead, we are to be transformed through the ‘renewing of our minds.’

Questions That We’ll Answer:

A) Why is conformity bad (and dangerous)?

B) How does transformation occur?

C) What does it mean to ‘renew’ your mind in God’s Word?

Website: www.fpcgulfport.org

Genesis started in a GARDEN.

It ended in a COFFIN.

In Genesis 1, things were looking great. God had created the world, and said that all He had created was good. But things got dark in Genesis 3.

Following man’s sin in Genesis 3, a roller coaster of depravity followed. In Genesis 4, Cain killed his brother, and things didn’t improve through the end of the book.In today’s sermon, we will consider Genesis 50 (the final words of the last chapter).

Questions That We’ll Answer:

A) What does Genesis tell us about mankind?

B) What does Genesis tell us about God?

C) How does Genesis set the stage for the rest of Scripture?

Website: www.fpcgulfport.org

They meant it for evil. But God used it for good.

In Genesis 45, Joseph’s brothers stood before him – brothers that had once sold him off to slave traders, and then told their father that he was dead. They had acted wickedly! And in a ‘twist of fate,’ their lives were now in his hands. But was it really a ‘twist of fate?’ Was their encounter just an amazing coincidence? That will be the focus of today’s study.

Questions That We’ll Answer:

A) What is ‘providence,’ and how does that word apply to Gen. 45?

B) Why didn’t Joseph exact revenge, when given the opportunity?

C) What was God’s purpose in all the events of Joseph’s life?

Website: www.fpcgulfport.org/sermons

In Genesis 40, Joseph was in prison.

Now, he did not deserve to be there. He’d done nothing wrong. And he must have wondered what part his shackles played in God’s plans. Hadn’t God given him a dream of a great and glorious future? Well, in today’s text, two other men would have dreams – and their interpretation would play a huge role in Joseph’s story.

Questions That We’ll Answer:

A) What were the dreams of the Butler and Baker all about?

B) Did these men deserve to be in jail? If so, what had they done?

C) What did their dreams mean for them (and for Joseph)?

Web: www.fpcgulfport.org