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SPIRITUAL AUTHORITY: SONS & DAUGHTERS – GROW UP & LIVE DIFFERENTLY
Based on the message by Pastor Chad Everett
OVERVIEW
If you are a son or daughter of God, does the way you live reflect who you are?
In Spiritual Authority: Sons & Daughters | Grow Up & Live Differently, Pastor Chad Everett continues through Galatians 4:1–7 and challenges believers to examine whether our lives reflect the freedom and inheritance we have received through Jesus.
Galatians 4:1 says that an heir, as long as he remains a child, “does not differ at all from a slave, though he is master of all.” His identity is not the problem. He was born an heir. Yet his immaturity affects how he lives and what he is able to experience.
The same can happen in our spiritual lives. We can be sons and daughters of God and still allow areas of our lives to be controlled by our flesh, emotions, attitudes, or old patterns of bondage. Sons and daughters are not supposed to act like slaves. We are called to think differently, talk differently, believe differently, respond differently, and control ourselves differently.
First Corinthians 3 shows that Paul was writing to believers when he confronted carnality and spiritual immaturity. A spiritual person is someone whose life is controlled and directed by the Spirit. A carnal person is controlled or directed by the flesh. Rather than simply labeling ourselves “spiritual” or “carnal,” Chad challenges us to examine individual areas of our lives and ask what is actually controlling us.
Envy, strife, division, uncontrolled anger, offense, gossip, and other flesh-led patterns reveal places where we still need to grow. God does not expose these things to condemn us. He reveals bondage because He wants to lead us out of it.
“Our spiritual maturity will determine our spiritual experience.”
Jesus did not redeem us so we could remain controlled by the things that once enslaved us. He is calling His sons and daughters to grow up, be led by the Spirit, and live differently.
HOW TO USE THIS STUDY GUIDE
Read → Respond → Reflect
Read each passage carefully before answering the Respond questions. Keep your Bible open and allow Scripture itself to provide the answers.
Then use the Reflect questions to examine your own life. Rather than thinking about what someone else needs to change, invite the Holy Spirit to reveal areas where your thoughts, words, attitudes, reactions, or choices may still be controlled by your flesh.
The goal is not condemnation. The goal is freedom. As God reveals areas of spiritual immaturity, allow Him to lead you out of bondage and into greater maturity as a son or daughter who is led by the Spirit.
This guide is designed for individual study, family discipleship, and Roads Groups.
SECTION 1 — SONS AND DAUGHTERS ARE CALLED TO LIVE DIFFERENTLY
Focus
Through Christ, we are no longer slaves. We are sons and daughters, and because we are sons and daughters, we are heirs.
Yet Galatians 4 reveals that an heir can possess the identity and inheritance of a son while still living no differently from a slave. God wants our lives to reflect who we have become through Christ.
We will still face difficulty, conflict, heartache, and circumstances beyond our control. Being a son or daughter does not mean we avoid these things. It means we go through them differently.
Read
Galatians 4:1–7
Respond
- According to Galatians 4:1, how does an heir who remains a child compare with a slave?
- What does Galatians 4:1 say is already true of the heir even while he is still a child?
- According to Galatians 4:4–5, why did God send His Son?
- According to Galatians 4:6, whom has God sent into the hearts of His sons and daughters?
- According to Galatians 4:7, what are we no longer, and what have we become?
Reflect
- Does the way I think, speak, believe, and respond consistently reflect my identity as a son or daughter of God?
- When I face conflict, disappointment, heartache, or pressure, what tends to control my response?
- What is one area where God may be calling me to live differently because I am no longer a slave?
Further Scripture Reading
Romans 6:16–18, 22; Colossians 1:13–14
SECTION 2 — SPIRITUAL IMMATURITY KEEPS US LIVING LIKE SLAVES
Focus
The heir’s identity was not the problem. His immaturity was keeping him from living in what already belonged to him.
Paul makes a similar distinction in 1 Corinthians 3. He is speaking to believers, yet he tells them he cannot speak to them as spiritual people because they are still carnal and behaving like babes.
Spiritual maturity is not determined by our physical age or how many years we have been Christians. We can belong to Jesus and still have areas where our flesh controls us.
“Our spiritual maturity will determine our spiritual experience.”
God calls us to grow because He wants us to experience the freedom and life He has made available to us.
Read
1 Corinthians 3:1–3
Respond
- According to 1 Corinthians 3:1, how did Paul describe the believers in Corinth?
- What does Paul connect with being “babes in Christ”?
- According to 1 Corinthians 3:2, what did Paul feed them, and why?
- What does Paul say about their ability to receive solid food?
- According to 1 Corinthians 3:3, what evidence showed that carnality was still present among them?
Reflect
- Have I assumed that being a Christian for a long time automatically means I am spiritually mature?
- Where might God be showing me that I still respond from spiritual immaturity?
- Is there something God has been trying to lead me out of that I have begun to accept as normal?
Further Scripture Reading
Hebrews 5:12–14; Ephesians 4:13–15
SECTION 3 — BE LED BY THE SPIRIT, NOT CONTROLLED BY THE FLESH
Focus
A spiritual person is someone whose life is controlled or directed by the Spirit. Romans 8:14 says, “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.”
The question is not simply whether we consider ourselves spiritual. We need to examine what actually directs our lives.
There may be areas where we are following the Holy Spirit and other areas where our emotions, desires, habits, or flesh still control our responses. God invites us to examine those areas honestly.
The purpose is not to label ourselves failures. When God reveals carnality, He is showing us a place where He wants to bring freedom.
Read
1 Corinthians 2:14–16; Romans 8:12–14
Respond
- According to 1 Corinthians 2:14, what does the natural man not receive?
- Why can the natural man not know the things of the Spirit of God?
- According to 1 Corinthians 2:14, how are the things of God discerned?
- According to Romans 8:13, what happens when we put to death the deeds of the body by the Spirit?
- According to Romans 8:14, who are identified as sons of God?
Reflect
- In what areas of my life can I clearly see that I am being led by the Spirit?
- Where am I more likely to be controlled by my feelings, desires, reactions, or circumstances?
- Am I willing to ask God to search me and reveal carnality without immediately defending or justifying myself?
Further Scripture Reading
Galatians 5:16–25
SECTION 4 — INVEST IN YOUR SPIRITUAL GROWTH
Focus
Spiritual maturity requires intentional investment. Chad challenges us to consider how we use the 112 waking hours we have in an average week. If our only spiritual investment is approximately 90 minutes in a church service, less than one percent of our waking hours is intentionally invested in our spiritual lives.
We cannot expect to become people who are led by the Spirit while nearly all of our attention and influence come from the natural world around us.
Growing spiritually means intentionally making room for prayer, Scripture, listening to God, worship, and relationships with brothers and sisters who will speak Christ into our lives.
Read
Romans 12:1–2; Colossians 3:1–2
Respond
- According to Romans 12:1, what are believers called to present to God?
- According to Romans 12:2, what are we told not to be conformed to?
- What does Romans 12:2 say must be renewed for transformation to take place?
- According to Colossians 3:1, where should those who have been raised with Christ seek the things that are above?
- According to Colossians 3:2, where are we instructed to set our minds?
Reflect
- What does the way I currently spend my time reveal about my commitment to spiritual growth?
- What voices, relationships, media, or environments have the greatest influence over the way I think and respond?
- What practical change can I make this week to invest more intentionally in prayer, Scripture, listening to God, worship, or relationships that strengthen my walk with Jesus?
Further Scripture Reading
Psalm 1:1–3; Colossians 3:16; 1 Timothy 4:7–8
SECTION 5 — COME OUT OF CARNALITY AND WALK IN FREEDOM
Focus
Paul gives believers practical evidence of carnality: envy, strife, and divisions.
Envy reveals dissatisfaction and jealousy over what someone else has. Strife appears through conflict, quarrels, uncontrolled temper, and hostility. Division grows when offense does not remain personal but spreads through gossip, discord, dissension, and attempts to pull others into our offense.
These things are not simply personality traits we have to accept. Chad describes them as forms of bondage that Jesus wants to lead us out of.
When God reveals envy, strife, division, offense, gossip, uncontrolled anger, or another flesh-led pattern, His purpose is not to beat us down. He is showing us where we are not free.
We do not have to remain there. Sons and daughters can repent, submit those areas to Jesus, and walk in the freedom He has provided.
Read
1 Corinthians 3:1–3; Romans 16:17–18
Respond
- According to 1 Corinthians 3:3, what three things does Paul identify as evidence of carnality?
- What does Paul say these behaviors reveal about the way the Corinthians were walking?
- According to Romans 16:17, what are believers told to notice?
- What does Romans 16:17 tell believers to do concerning those who cause divisions and offenses contrary to the doctrine they have learned?
- According to Romans 16:18, what can smooth words and flattering speech do?
Reflect
- Do I see envy, jealousy, strife, uncontrolled anger, offense, gossip, or division in my life that I have excused or accepted?
- When I am offended, do I take that offense to Jesus, or do I spread it to others in an attempt to gain agreement or justify how I feel?
- What area of carnality is Jesus inviting me to bring to Him so I can come out of bondage and walk in greater freedom?
Further Scripture Reading
Ephesians 4:25–32; James 3:13–18
FINAL ENCOURAGEMENT
Jesus did not bring you out of slavery so you could continue living like a slave. Through faith in Christ, you are a son or daughter of God, and He is calling you to grow up and live differently.
Allow the Holy Spirit to show you where envy, strife, division, offense, uncontrolled emotions, or other flesh-led patterns still have influence in your life. Do not receive His correction as condemnation. Receive it as an invitation to freedom.
Your circumstances may not immediately become different, but you can be different. You can think differently, talk differently, believe differently, respond differently, and allow the Spirit to direct your life.
“Our spiritual maturity will determine our spiritual experience.”
Do not become comfortable living in bondage Jesus died to free you from. Let Him lead you out. Grow up as a son or daughter, walk in the freedom He has given you, and live differently.
BE INTENTIONAL ABOUT YOUR SPIRITUAL GROWTH
Spiritual maturity does not happen by accident. Growing as a disciple of Jesus requires intentionally making room for the Holy Spirit to form us both personally and within the family of God.
Personal spiritual formation includes spending time in prayer, reading and studying Scripture, worshiping, listening for the voice of God, and allowing His Word and Spirit to shape the way we think, speak, respond, and live. We were never meant to grow in isolation. God also forms us through life with other believers as we learn together, pray for one another, encourage and challenge one another, serve together, and practice what it means to live as members of the body of Christ.
The Roads Church offers opportunities to intentionally grow alongside others:
Roads Groups
Build meaningful relationships with other believers and grow together through community, Scripture, prayer, discipleship, and life together.
Wednesday Nights
Share dinner and fellowship together, then go deeper in God’s Word through study, questions, conversation, and practical application with other believers.
Kineo Ministry Training Center – Norris City Campus/Online
Go deeper in biblical and ministry training through in-person or online streams of study. Kineo offers both diploma and degree course options for those who want to intentionally grow in their knowledge of God and receive deeper biblical and ministry training.
Men’s Connect — Monthly @ Norris City
An opportunity for men to build relationships, encourage one another in their faith, and intentionally grow together as followers of Jesus.
Consider your own commitment to spiritual growth. What rhythms are you building into your personal life with Jesus? Who are you growing alongside? Where are you allowing yourself to be known, challenged, encouraged, and equipped?
Ask the Holy Spirit what your next step should be, and then intentionally make room for both personal spiritual formation and life together with the family of God.