SPIRITUAL AUTHORITY: SONS & DAUGHTERS – TAKE THE LAND
Message from Pastor Chad Everett
OVERVIEW
Have you ever been given something that belongs to you, but you still had to go get it?
In Take the Land, we learn that through faith in Jesus, we are God’s sons and daughters. We are also heirs. An heir is someone who has been given an inheritance because he or she belongs to a family.
God made promises to Abraham about his family and about land. His family, or lineage, reminds us that we need to know who we are. Through Jesus, we belong to God’s family. The land reminds us that sometimes God gives us something, but we still have to move forward and take hold of it.
Abraham also had to believe God when what he could see did not look like what God had promised. Jesus reminded Zacchaeus and a woman who had been sick for 18 years who they really were. God’s people had to move forward into the land He gave them, even when people stronger than them were already there.
We can learn from them. We need to know who we are, believe what God says, and keep moving forward even when things are hard.
“Possess the land. Take the land. Move forward. Advance.”
HOW TO USE THIS STUDY GUIDE
Read About It → Talk About It → Think About It
Open your Bible and read each passage together.
Look for the answers in the Bible before answering the Talk About It questions. These questions follow the same truths the adults are discussing, so Kidz can be part of the conversation too.
Then use the Think About It questions to talk about how God’s Word connects to your own life.
MEMORY VERSE
“Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.” — Galatians 4:7 (NKJV)
BIG WORDS
Heir = Someone who receives something because he or she belongs to a family.
Inheritance = Something that is given to you because you are an heir.
Lineage = The family you come from or belong to.
Identity = Who you are.
Possess = To take hold of something that has been given to you.
Territory = An area of land or a place that belongs to someone.
Advance = To keep moving forward.
SECTION 1 — KNOW WHO YOU ARE AS AN HEIR
BIG IDEA
Through faith in Jesus, I am God’s child and an heir. I need to know who I am and what God has given me through Jesus.
READ ABOUT IT
Galatians 3:26–29; Galatians 4:1–7
TALK ABOUT IT
- According to Galatians 3:26, how do we become sons and daughters of God?
- What does Galatians 3:29 say we become if we belong to Christ?
- In Galatians 4:1, how can an heir live while he is still a child?
- Why did God send Jesus according to Galatians 4:4–5?
- According to Galatians 4:7, what are we now instead of slaves?
THINK ABOUT IT
- When you think about who you are, do you remember that you are God’s child?
- How could knowing you are God’s son or daughter help you when you feel afraid or not good enough?
- What do you think it means to live like something really belongs to you instead of only knowing about it?
READ MORE
Romans 8:14–17
SECTION 2 — KNOW YOUR LINEAGE AND LIVE FROM YOUR IDENTITY
BIG IDEA
Jesus wants me to know who I am. My mistakes, struggles, or what other people say about me do not get to decide my identity.
READ ABOUT IT
Luke 19:1–10; Luke 13:10–17
TALK ABOUT IT
- What did the people call Zacchaeus in Luke 19:7?
- What began to change after Zacchaeus welcomed Jesus?
- What did Jesus call Zacchaeus in Luke 19:9?
- How long had the woman in Luke 13 been bound by her sickness?
- What did Jesus call her in Luke 13:16, and what did He say should happen to her?
THINK ABOUT IT
- Have you ever made a mistake and started thinking that mistake was who you are?
- Have you ever believed something unkind that someone said about you?
- How can remembering that you are God’s son or daughter change the way you see yourself?
- Is there something that has been hard for a long time that you want to trust Jesus with?
READ MORE
2 Corinthians 5:17
SECTION 3 — BELIEVE GOD’S WORD OVER WHAT YOU SEE
BIG IDEA
Abraham believed God even when he could not yet see what God had promised. We can choose to believe God’s Word even when our situation looks different.
READ ABOUT IT
Genesis 15:1–6
TALK ABOUT IT
- What did God tell Abram He would be to him in Genesis 15:1?
- What problem did Abram tell God about?
- What did God promise Abram?
- What did God tell Abram to look at in the sky?
- According to Genesis 15:6, did Abram believe the Lord?
THINK ABOUT IT
- Is it easier for you to believe what you can see or what God says?
- Have you ever prayed about something but became discouraged because nothing seemed to change?
- What can you do when your feelings or what you see make it hard to believe God?
- What is one truth from God’s Word you want to keep believing?
READ MORE
Romans 4:18–21
SECTION 4 — POSSESS THE LAND GOD HAS GIVEN YOU
BIG IDEA
God gave His people land, but they still had to move forward and take possession of it. God wants us to trust Him and move forward in what He has given us too.
READ ABOUT IT
Deuteronomy 11:22–25
TALK ABOUT IT
- What did God tell His people to carefully do in Deuteronomy 11:22?
- What did God promise to do before them?
- Were the nations in front of them weaker or stronger than they were?
- According to verse 24, what would become theirs?
- What did God promise when they moved forward?
THINK ABOUT IT
- Is there something in your life that you know God wants to change?
- Are there thoughts, attitudes, or habits that you should not let stay in control?
- What could “taking the land” look like for a kid at home, at school, or with friends?
- What is one step you can take this week to obey God and move forward?
READ MORE
Joshua 1:7–9
SECTION 5 — KEEP ADVANCING WHEN THINGS GET HARD
BIG IDEA
Following God does not mean everything will always be easy. We can face hard things and still keep moving forward with Him.
Paul had a great opportunity in front of him, but he also had people against him. Opposition did not mean he should quit.
READ ABOUT IT
Matthew 11:12; 1 Corinthians 16:8–9
TALK ABOUT IT
- What does Jesus say about the Kingdom of heaven in Matthew 11:12?
- What did Paul say had opened for him in 1 Corinthians 16:9?
- How did Paul describe the open door?
- Were there also people against him?
- Does facing something hard always mean we should give up?
THINK ABOUT IT
- What do you usually do when something becomes difficult?
- Have you ever quit or backed away because you became discouraged?
- What could help you keep trusting God when you face opposition?
- Is there something God wants you to get back up and try again?
- What would it look like for you to “move forward and advance” this week?
READ MORE
Ephesians 6:10–11
KEEP MOVING FORWARD!
“Possess the land. Take the land. Move forward. Advance.”
Remember who you are. Through faith in Jesus, you are God’s son or daughter and an heir. What you see, what other people say, or even the mistakes you have made do not change who God says you are.
Ask the Holy Spirit to show you one place where you need to move forward. Maybe you need to change a habit, forgive someone, stop believing a wrong thought, obey God in something difficult, or start doing something you know is right.
Things may get hard, but you do not have to give up. Trust what God says, get back up, and keep moving forward. You are God’s child. Take the land. Move forward. Advance!