Why did God come in fire and thunder at Sinai? In Exodus 19, God descends on Mount Sinai in fire, smoke, and thunder, and the whole mountain trembles. Dr. Toby Holt explores this terrifying display of God's holiness. Three months after leaving Egypt, Israel reaches Sinai, where God meets them in fire and trumpet blasts. No one may touch the mountain and live; the people must consecrate themselves to approach a holy God. The nearer we come to God, the more we see our sin. The good news: when Christ died, the temple veil tore, and through Him the holy God is now approachable.

Questions this study answers:

1. Why did God appear in fire and thunder? To display His holiness and authority as the Lawgiver. The awesome scene taught Israel to revere Him.

2. Why couldn't the people approach the mountain? Because God is holy and they were sinful; to touch it meant death. It showed the distance sin creates.

3. How can sinful people come near a holy God now? Through Christ. At His death the veil was torn, opening the way for believers to approach God boldly.

"...if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people…" — Exodus 19:5 (NKJV)

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.

How does God provide when there's nothing left? In Exodus 16-17, a hungry, thirsty Israel grumbles in the desert — and God rains bread from heaven and brings water from a rock. Dr. Toby Holt shows how God provides and tests His people in the wilderness. With no food, the people accuse Moses of leading them out to die, and God sends manna each morning — enough for each day, to teach them to trust Him daily. Later, with no water, God has Moses strike a rock, and water gushes out. Both the manna and the rock point to Christ — the true Bread of Life and the Rock from which living water flows.

Questions this study answers:

1. Why were the people grumbling? Because they had no food or water and feared they would die. Their complaint was really against God, not just Moses.

2. What was the manna? Bread God rained from heaven each day — a daily test of whether Israel would trust Him rather than hoard. It pointed to Christ, the Bread of Life.

3. How do the manna and rock point to Jesus? Jesus called Himself the Bread of Life, and Paul says the rock was Christ. Both picture the One who satisfies our deepest needs. "Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you… that I may test them, whether they will walk in My law or not." — Exodus 16:4 (NKJV)

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.

Across the course of the first nine plagues, all of Egypt's gods had proven worthless - the God of Israel had brought plagues upon the very things those gods were supposed to protect. And yet, Pharaoh had learned nothing. His heart had only grown harder.

However, the 10th plague would break his spirit and take his son. Following the events of the Passover night, God's people would be set free. And in the implementation of the Passover meal itself, a neon arrow would point forward to the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ.

Click to listen to today's sermon on the "passover" from Exodus 12 .

Questions That We'll Answer:

A) Why did it take ten plagues before Pharaoh obeyed God?

B) Why was God so specific regarding the "passover lamb?"

C) Were any Egyptians families spared on that fateful night?

Speaker : Rev. Dr. Toby B. Holt

Questions this sermon helps answer:

1. What is the main issue raised in Exodus: The Final Plague, The Passover (Ep. 5)?

2. How does this passage point listeners to Christ, grace, repentance, and faith?

3. How should Christians respond in worship, obedience, and daily life?

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 Bible teaching at newgeneva.org.

Why did God send ten plagues on Egypt?

In Exodus 7-11, God strikes Egypt with ten devastating plagues. Dr. Toby Holt explains that the plagues were far more than natural disasters — they were a contest between God and Egypt's false gods. Each plague struck at a specific Egyptian deity, exposing them as powerless before the living God. Through it all, God set His own people apart — Goshen was spared the swarms, and Israel had light while Egypt sat in darkness. Pharaoh's heart only hardened. The plagues reveal God's justice against rebellion and His mercy toward His own.

Questions this study answers:

1. Why did God send ten specific plagues? To judge Egypt's false gods and prove that He alone is the LORD. Each plague toppled an idol Egypt trusted.

2. Why did Pharaoh's heart stay hardened? Because he kept refusing to humble himself before God, even as the judgments mounted. His pride would not bend.

3. What do the plagues reveal about God? Both His justice and His mercy — judgment on stubborn rebellion, and protection for His covenant people. "And the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I stretch out My hand on Egypt and bring out the children of Israel from among them." — Exodus 7:5 (NKJV)

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.

What happens when obeying God makes life harder? In Exodus 5, Moses confronts Pharaoh with God's command — "Let My people go" — and things immediately get worse, not better. Dr. Toby Holt explores what to do when obedience seems to backfire.

Pharaoh sneers, "Who is the LORD, that I should obey Him?" and makes Israel's slavery harsher — bricks without straw. The people's faith collapses and they blame Moses. God answers not with an explanation but by reasserting who He is: "I am the LORD." Hardship is often the soil in which faith grows.

Questions this study answers:

1. Why did Pharaoh refuse to obey? Because in his pride he did not know or fear the LORD. He saw no reason to submit to Israel's God.

2. How did the people respond to harder oppression? Their faith faltered and they turned on Moses. They had expected quick relief, not greater hardship.

3. What does this chapter teach about trusting God? That His timing and methods are not ours, and delays are not abandonment. God answers by reminding us who He is. "Thus says the LORD God of Israel: 'Let My people go, that they may hold a feast to Me in the wilderness.'" — Exodus 5:1 (NKJV)

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.

What is God's name?

In Exodus 3, God speaks to Moses from a bush that burns but is not consumed. Dr. Toby Holt unpacks this holy encounter and the name by which God reveals Himself.

Moses, now an eighty-year-old shepherd, turns aside and meets God on holy ground. God says He has seen Israel's suffering and will rescue them through Moses. When Moses asks who sent him, God answers, "I AM WHO I AM" — the self-existent, unchanging One. He chooses a weak, reluctant shepherd so the glory would clearly be God's.

Questions this study answers:

1. Why did the bush burn without being consumed? It pictured God's holy, fiery presence — and His promise that He would not consume His people but save them.

2. What does "holy ground" mean? That God's presence makes a place set apart. Moses had to remove his sandals before the holy God.

3. What does the name "I AM" reveal? That God is self-existent, eternal, and unchanging — dependent on nothing and no one. He simply is.

"And God said to Moses, 'I AM WHO I AM.'… 'I AM has sent me to you.'" — Exodus 3:14 (NKJV)

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.

How did Israel end up enslaved in Egypt?

In Exodus 1-2, the family of Israel has grown into a nation — and into slavery. Dr. Toby Holt opens the book of Exodus and shows that its story is, in a sense, our story too. Generations after Joseph, "a new king arose who did not know Joseph" and enslaved the Israelites, even ordering their baby boys killed. Yet God was at work: a Levite child named Moses was hidden in a basket and rescued — placed, by God's irony, inside Pharaoh's own household. God keeps the promises He made to Abraham, preserving His people.

Questions this study answers:

1. Who was Moses, and why was he born under a death edict? A Hebrew child born when Pharaoh had ordered every Israelite baby boy killed. God preserved him to become Israel's deliverer.

2. Why did Egypt enslave Israel? A new Pharaoh, who did not honor Joseph, feared the growing nation and forced them into brutal slavery. Fear drove his cruelty.

3. How is Exodus a picture of the gospel? It shows God rescuing a helpless, enslaved people for Himself — pointing to the greater rescue from sin in Christ.

"Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph." — Exodus 1:8 (NKJV)

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.

How does the Old Testament end? In Malachi 4:1-6, we reach the very last words of the Old Testament — and then God falls silent for some 400 years. Dr. Toby Holt shows how the Old Testament closes with both warning and hope. Malachi describes a coming day of judgment that will burn up the proud like stubble, but for those who fear God's name, "the Sun of Righteousness shall arise with healing in His wings." This points ahead to Jesus Christ — His first coming and His return. God also promises to send "Elijah," whom Jesus identifies as John the Baptist. After Malachi, heaven goes quiet until God speaks again through His Son.

Questions this study answers:

1. Why did God go silent for about 400 years after Malachi? Because He had said all that was needed until the coming of His Son. The long silence was the hush before God's greatest act in Christ.

2. Who is the "Sun of Righteousness"? It is a picture of Jesus Christ, who rises with healing for His people. Malachi's final hope points directly to the Savior.

3. Why did God promise to send "Elijah"? Jesus explained that this pointed to John the Baptist, who came in the spirit of Elijah to prepare the way for the Lord.

"But to you who fear My name the Sun of Righteousness shall arise with healing in His wings." — Malachi 4:2 (NKJV)

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.

Is serving God really worth it?

In Malachi 3:13-18, God's people grumble that serving Him is useless — they see no payoff. Dr. Toby Holt answers a question every believer feels at some point: is faithfulness worth it? The people complained that the proud and wicked seemed to prosper while the godly gained nothing. Our circumstances are not the measure of God's love. God keeps a "book of remembrance" of those who fear Him, and calls them His treasured possession — His "jewels." One day the difference between those who serve God and those who do not will be plain.

Questions this study answers:

1. Why did the people think serving God was useless? Because they measured God's love by their circumstances, and the wicked seemed to prosper. They mistook outward comfort for God's favor.

2. How does God see His faithful people? He calls them His "jewels" — His treasured possession — and records them in a book of remembrance. They are precious to Him even when overlooked.

3. Will the difference between the godly and the wicked ever be clear? Yes. Though often hidden now, God promises a day when all will see the difference between those who serve Him and those who do not. "'They shall be Mine,' says the LORD of hosts, 'On the day that I make them My jewels…'" — Malachi 3:17 (NKJV)

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.

In Malachi 3, God accused His people of "robbing Him." What were they doing?

As we'll see in today's study, God had given His people everything that they had. For that matter, He has done the same for us. How should we respond? Well, Scripture calls us to be good and generous stewards. However, our inclination is to be the opposite - to be selfish and greedy. In today's text, we'll see how the Israelites were guilty of this in the time of Malachi.

Questions That We'll Answer:

A) What is a "tithe?" And do we still "tithe" today?

B) Does stewardship involve hoarding God's gifts, or sharing?

C) What does the Bible tell us about our own financial practices?

Speaker : Rev. Dr. Toby B. Holt

Questions this sermon helps answer:

1. What is the main issue raised in Malachi: Tithes, Offerings And Stewardship (Ep. 5)?

2. How does this passage point listeners to Christ, grace, repentance, and faith?

3. How should Christians respond in worship, obedience, and daily life?

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 Bible teaching at newgeneva.org.