The wrong question: how did all the animals fit in the ark?

The most crucial question of Genesis 6 is NOT about the animals. Not at all. Rather, it is this: why was an ark needed in the first place? In other words, why was God willing to flood the entire globe, only six chapters after creating it? Seems drastic. So why did God do it, and what does it tell us about the future?

Questions That We’ll Answer:

A) In what way did the flood typify the wrath of God ‘poured out?’

B) In what way did the ark typify Jesus Christ? Is Jesus in this text?

C) Why did Christ refer to future days as being ‘like the days of Noah?’

Website: www.fpcgulfport.org

That didn’t take long, did it?

You might have thought Genesis 4 couldn’t go worse than Genesis 3 – that mankind would have learned its lesson. Surely man would do better! Surely he’d turn away from sin! However, before Genesis 4 was over, a blood soaked corpse proved otherwise.

Questions That We’ll Answer:

A) Why did Cain kill his brother? What was wrong with his sacrifice?

B) Why did God warn Cain that ‘sin lay at his door?’

C) Is it possible that sin is at our door as well? What should we do?

www.fpcgulfport.org

One sin. That’s all it took.

In our day, sin is treated casually – as a marketing device (think ‘Sin City’) and rarely as a spiritual anchor. But one sin is all it took for man to be thrown out of the garden, and for chaos to sweep the created realm. This tells us two things: 1) sin must be really bad, and 2) God must be really holy.

Questions That We’ll Answer:

A) What ‘tool’ did the serpent use to attack Eve in the garden?

B) What is the purpose of the fiery sword at the garden’s edge?

C) Why are the words ‘Genesis 4’ the best words in any language?

web: www.fpcgulfport.org

There is a God, and you are not Him.

The starting point for all correct theology or philosophy is found in Genesis 1, which declares God’s existence and transcendence over that which He has made. “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.”

Questions That We’ll Answer:

A) Why do people argue for ‘evolution’ or the ‘big bang’ instead?

B) Are those theories consistent w/ the Bible’s teaching on creation?

C) How do we explain the apparent age of rocks, stars, and so forth?

Website: www.fpcgulfport.org

Witnesses, proof, evidences – it was all there.

The resurrection of Jesus Christ is one of the most heavily reported, historically verified events of antiquity. And that’s a good thing, since the fate and future of billions hangs in the balance. Today, we’ll consider the implications of the empty tomb.

Questions That We’ll Answer:

A) Why were the apostles so anxious in Luke 24?

B) Why is the best news often the hardest to believe?

C) If Jesus is alive, then what is He doing right now? Do we know?

Web: http://www.fpcgulfport.org

On the day the people were looking for a perfect lamb for their Passover celebration, the ‘lamb of God’ approached. It wasn’t a coincidence.

In today’s study, we will consider the events of Palm Sunday through an unusual set of eyes – those of John the Baptist. Why did John call Jesus the ‘lamb of God?’ Why didn’t anyone else see Him that way?

Questions That We’ll Answer:

A) What is the connection between the Passover and ‘Palm Sunday?’

B) What is the difference between appeasement and atonement?

C) Can you be saved by appeasing God? Why or why not?

Website: www.fpcgulfport.org

You won’t find ‘utopia’ in a warzone.

So many people misunderstand their reality. They think that this world is their home, irrespective of how little time they’ll spend here. They think this world is great, irrespective of the landmines going off around them. Conversely, the Bible says that this world is filled with trials and hardships. And so, our hope is not found in this ‘valley of death,’ but in the Shepherd that leads us to someplace better.

Questions That We’ll Answer:

A) What words of encouragement did Peter have to the suffering?

B) Why does God allow His children to be tested and tried?

C) How do we know that our story ends well? How can we be sure?

Website: www.fpcgulfport.org

What makes ‘love’ greater than faith or hope?

In 1 Corinthians 13, Paul said “now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.” So, why is ‘love’ superior? Well, for starters, it is the only one of those three words that applies to God. God does not have ‘faith.’ God does not hope. But HE DOES LOVE – in fact, HE IS LOVE!

Questions That We’ll Consider:

A) What mess was Corinth in, that they needed a primer on love?

B) How does love motivate us in ways that no other emotion can?

C) What sets love apart (both now and on Heaven’s shores)?

Web: www.fpcgulfport.org

The desert is home to some of the Bible’s most fascinating stories.

In Acts 8, there was a caravan traveling in the desert of Judea. At its head was a pagan eunuch – someone well outside of the covenant community, but not outside of God’s plan of salvation. And in order to reach this man, God sent an evangelist into the wasteland. His name was Phillip, and this is his story.

Questions That We’ll Answer:

A) Why does God care for rebels, pagans, and sinners?

B) What book was the Ethiopian reading when Philip found him?

C) What hope does Acts 8 give for the ‘lost people’ in our lives?

Web: www.fpcgulfport.org

Why do people rage against a God they cannot overthrow?

"Why do the nations rage, and the people plot a vain thing?" (Psalm 2:1). In this study, Dr. Toby Holt exposes the futility of rebellion against the Almighty. Individuals may feel small before God, so they band together as nations and coalitions to shake their fists at heaven — yet the difference between man and God is the difference between potent and omnipotent. If mankind launched every weapon in its arsenal at heaven, the throne of God would not move an inch. And so, Dr. Holt notes, the God who "sits in the heavens" laughs — He does not even rise from His throne to deal with the threat.

But His laughter has a shelf life. Psalm 2 is a Messianic psalm: God has set His King on Zion and will give Him the nations. Dr. Holt points to Herod Agrippa, struck down and eaten by worms for stealing God's glory — proof that a man who cannot master the worm in his own belly is no god at all. The psalm ends not in wrath but in mercy: "Kiss the Son... Blessed are all those who put their trust in Him." Every authority is delegated, every human being a rebel — king and peasant alike — yet God saves rebels by sending His own Son to bear their sentence.

Questions this study answers:

1. How do nations and leaders foment rebellion against God? By banding together to override His law, imagining their collective power can thwart His will. Psalm 2 calls this "a vain thing" — futile from the start.

2. What does it mean that God "sits" and "laughs" at them? That He is utterly unthreatened. He does not rise or brace Himself; the rebellion of the whole earth cannot move His throne, because He is omnipotent and they are not.

3. In what way is Psalm 2 a Messianic psalm? It points to God's anointed Son, given the nations as His inheritance — the crucified Lamb who returns as the reigning King, before whom every knee will bow.

"Kiss the Son, lest He be angry... Blessed are all those who put their trust in Him." — Psalm 2:12 (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.