Depression

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?

3. What does it mean to be saved from God by God?

Revelation 7 assures believers that Jesus wins, His redeemed will dwell before the throne, and God will wipe away every tear.

Speaker: Dr. Toby Holt is President of New Geneva Theological Seminary, and his sermons have been downloaded more than 1.9 million times on SermonAudio. Find more verse-by-verse Bible teaching at newgeneva.org; support this ministry at newgeneva.org/give.

Where is God when you are depressed?

When depression presses in, God can feel distant — as if your pain has carried you beyond His reach. In this study of Psalm 139, Dr. Toby Holt shows the opposite is true: there is no valley dark enough to take you outside the presence and care of God. David confesses that God has searched him and known him completely — his sitting down and rising up, his words before he speaks them, his every anxious thought. "Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence?" (Psalm 139:7). The answer is nowhere — even if he makes his bed in the depths, God is there, and even the darkness is as light to Him.

Dr. Holt draws out the comfort hidden in that truth for the discouraged believer: the God who knows you fully is not repelled by what He finds. He is the One who "formed my inward parts" and knit you together in the womb (Psalm 139:13-14). You matter to God not because your feelings say so, but because He made you, He keeps you, and He is with you even when you cannot sense Him.

Questions this study answers:

1. Does God feel distant because He has actually withdrawn? No. Psalm 139 teaches that God is inescapably present — "even the night shall be light about me" (v. 11-12). The sense of distance is real to our feelings but does not change the reality of God's nearness to His people.

2. Why does it matter that God "knows" me so completely? Because His knowledge is not cold surveillance but covenant care. The God who searches you is the One who formed you and ordained your days.

3. What hope does Psalm 139 offer someone battling depression? That your worth and safety rest on God's unchanging character, not your shifting emotions — you are His workmanship, and no darkness can separate you from His presence.

"Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my anxieties." — Psalm 139:23 (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 depression and hope. Find more verse-by-verse teaching across the Bible at newgeneva.org. To support this teaching ministry, visit newgeneva.org/give.

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 an act of faith.

Questions this study answers:

1. Is it wrong to ask God "why" when we suffer? No. Job, the most righteous man on earth, asked God why — and so did Moses, Elijah, and David. God welcomes our honest cries.

2. Does asking "why" mean our faith is weak? Not at all. Bringing our pain to God is itself an act of trust. It turns toward Him rather than away from Him.

3. Is God indifferent to our pain? No. God is not cold or distant. He receives the laments of His people and draws near to the brokenhearted.

"I will say to God, 'Do not condemn me; show me why You contend with me.'" — Job 10:2 (NKJV)

Speaker: Dr. Toby Holt is President of New Geneva Theological Seminary, and his sermons have been downloaded more than 1.9 million times on SermonAudio. Find more verse-by-verse Bible teaching at newgeneva.org; support this ministry at newgeneva.org/give.

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 the stars in place is mindful of you.

Questions this study answers:

1. What is so striking about Psalm 8? That the God who made the vast heavens also cares about small, sinful people. His greatness and tenderness meet here.

2. Why does David focus on the "name" of God? Because God's name carries His nature and majesty. To praise His name is to praise who He truly is.

3. What proof do you have that God loves you? That the towering Creator stoops to be mindful of you and crowns you with dignity.

"What is man that You are mindful of him, and the son of man that You visit him?" — Psalm 8:4 (NKJV)

Speaker: Dr. Toby Holt is President of New Geneva Theological Seminary, and his sermons have been downloaded more than 1.9 million times on SermonAudio. Find more verse-by-verse Bible teaching at newgeneva.org; support this ministry at newgeneva.org/give.

Where do you go when life feels like too much?

In Matthew 11:28-30, Jesus gives an open invitation to everyone worn out and weighed down: "Come to Me." In this sermon, Dr. Toby Holt opens Christ's promise of rest for the overwhelmed — and the reminder that we do not carry our burdens alone.

Questions this sermon answers:

1. Who is Jesus inviting? Everyone who is weary and "heavy laden" — those worn down by life, sin, and care. The invitation is wide open: "Come to Me, all you."

2. What does Jesus promise to give? Rest for the soul. He does not promise an easy life, but His presence and relief for all who come to Him in faith.

3. What does it mean to take His "yoke"? To come under His gentle leadership and learn from Him. His yoke is easy and His burden light, because He carries the weight with us.

"Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls." — Matthew 11:28-29 (NKJV)

Speaker: Dr. Toby Holt is President of New Geneva Theological Seminary, and his sermons have been downloaded more than 1.9 million times on SermonAudio. Find more verse-by-verse Bible teaching at newgeneva.org; support this ministry at newgeneva.org/give.

The Gospel is not toothless.

The Gospel is not weak or defenseless.

As Spurgeon said – it is like a ‘lion.’

What do you do with a lion?

You set it loose.

In today’s text, we’ll see an example of this from Acts 17.

Questions That We’ll Answer:

A) What opposition did Paul and the apostles face?

B) What was the true (spiritual) source of that opposition?

C) What effect does the good news have upon a fallen world?

Speaker: Dr. Toby Holt

Goliath was a monster.

This man was a giant, a beast; the Devil’s own proxy.

But God had His own champion.

He sent a shepherd from Bethlehem to crush the monster’s head.

Does that remind you of anybody else?

In today’s study of 1 Samuel 17, we’ll see the Gospel in OT clothing.

Questions That We’ll Answer:

A) In what ways was Goliath a proxy for the serpent?

B) What other types or shadows are in this chapter?

C) How do Gen. 3, Rev. 13, and 1 Samuel 17 connect?

Speaker: Dr. Toby Holt

You can take this to the bank:

As a Christian, your future is brighter than you can imagine.

But for now?

For now, we face hardships and heartache.

For now, we live in ‘this present darkness.’

That’s the tension of the Christian life, isn’t it?

We live in the ‘already,’ but the ‘not yet.’

Questions That We’ll Answer:

A) Why does all of nature ‘groan?’ What is the cause?

B) How can we be sure of a brighter tomorrow?

C) How do we find strength to endure to the end?

Speaker: Dr. Toby Holt

Is worship difficult for you?

For many people, it is.

For many, it seems difficult or unnatural.

Now, why would ‘worship’ be difficult?

Well, we’re not used to glorifying someone other than ourselves.

So, how do we fix this?

It begins with the study of God himself.

It begins with an appreciation of His character.

The more we understand God, the more natural worship becomes.

Questions That We’ll Answer:

A) What sort of worship was taking place in 2 Chronicles 7?

B) What happened the moment the Temple was dedicated?

C) How can we grow in our love and commitment to worship?

Speaker: Dr. Toby B. Holt

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 to us? In Christ, God promises forgiveness, His abiding presence, and eternal life to all who trust Him — and He will keep every one.

"Therefore know that the LORD your God, He is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and mercy for a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His commandments." — Deuteronomy 7:9 (NKJV)

Speaker: Dr. Toby Holt is President of New Geneva Theological Seminary, and his sermons have been downloaded more than 1.9 million times on SermonAudio. Find more verse-by-verse Bible teaching at newgeneva.org; support this ministry at newgeneva.org/give.