9.27.26 – Sermon Study Guide

by | Sep 29, 2026 | Sermon Study Guide

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SPIRITUAL AUTHORITY: SONS & DAUGHTERS – TAKE THE LAND

Based on the message by Pastor Chad Everett

 

OVERVIEW

What has God already given you that you have not yet possessed?

Through faith in Christ, we are sons and daughters of God and heirs according to the promise. Yet it is possible to be an heir and not know what is available to us or live in possession of our inheritance.

In God’s promise to Abraham, two things reveal an important picture for us: lineage and land. Lineage speaks to identity. We need to know who we are, whose family we belong to, and what we have access to as heirs. Land speaks to territory. God gave His people land, but they still had to move forward and possess it.

There is a difference between an inheritance promised and an inheritance possessed. There may be areas of our thoughts, attitudes, habits, and lives where we have allowed something else to occupy territory that God wants us to possess.

Abraham had to believe the Word of the Lord instead of what his circumstances told him. Zacchaeus encountered Jesus and was called back into his identity as a son of Abraham. A woman who had been bound for 18 years encountered Jesus and was loosed as a daughter of Abraham.

As sons and daughters, we are called to know who we are, believe what God says, and move forward. Opposition may come, but opposition is not a reason to retreat.

“Possess the land. Take the land. Move forward. Advance.” 

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. Ask the Holy Spirit to show you where you need to believe what God says, possess what He has given you, or begin advancing again.

This guide is designed for individual study, family discipleship, and Roads Groups.

 

SECTION 1 — KNOW WHO YOU ARE AS AN HEIR

Focus

Through faith in Christ, we are sons and daughters of God and heirs according to the promise. An heir is entitled to an inheritance, but it is possible to be an heir and not know what is available or live in possession of it.

Our inheritance does not begin when we die. Jesus is our inheritance. Through the Holy Spirit dwelling within us, we have access now to what God has made available through Christ.  

Read

Galatians 3:26–29; Galatians 4:1–7

Respond

  1. According to Galatians 3:26, how do we become sons of God?
  2. What does Galatians 3:29 say is true of those who belong to Christ?
  3. According to Galatians 4:1, how can an heir live while he is still a child?
  4. Why did God send His Son according to Galatians 4:4–5?
  5. According to Galatians 4:7, what are you no longer, and what have you become?

Reflect

  • Do I see myself first as a son or daughter of God and an heir?
  • Are there areas where I have access to more through Christ than I am actually walking in?
  • Have I been thinking of my inheritance primarily as something for the future rather than something available through Jesus now?
  • What would change in the way I live if I truly believed I am an heir?

Further Scripture Reading

Romans 8:14–17

 

SECTION 2 — KNOW YOUR LINEAGE AND LIVE FROM YOUR IDENTITY

Focus

Lineage speaks to identity: knowing who we are and the family we have been born into.

Zacchaeus was known by others as a sinner, but Jesus called him a son of Abraham. The woman who had been bound for 18 years was identified by Jesus as a daughter of Abraham who ought to be loosed from her bondage.

Our struggles, past, circumstances, and the labels others place on us do not determine our identity. In Christ, we are called to live from our identity as sons and daughters rather than from what has held us captive.    

Read

Luke 19:1–10; Luke 13:10–17

Respond

  1. How did the people describe Zacchaeus in Luke 19:7?
  2. What happened in Zacchaeus after he received Jesus into his house?
  3. What did Jesus call Zacchaeus in Luke 19:9?
  4. What had bound the woman in Luke 13, and for how long?
  5. What identity did Jesus give her in Luke 13:16, and what did He say should happen to her?

Reflect

  • What labels from my past or from other people have I allowed to become part of how I see myself?
  • Is there an area where I am more conscious of my struggle than my identity as a son or daughter?
  • Have I lived with something for so long that I have stopped expecting freedom?
  • What would change if I began approaching that area from my identity in Christ?

Further Scripture Reading

2 Corinthians 5:17

 

SECTION 3 — BELIEVE GOD’S WORD OVER YOUR CIRCUMSTANCES

Focus

Abraham had no children when God promised that his descendants would be as numerous as the stars. His circumstances told one story, while the Word of the Lord told another.

God changed Abraham’s perspective and showed him what He saw. Abraham then chose to believe the Lord before there was any visible evidence that the promise would happen.

We believe the Word of the Lord, not simply the results we can see.  

Read

Genesis 15:1–6

Respond

  1. What did God tell Abram He would be to him in Genesis 15:1?
  2. What circumstance did Abram bring before God in verses 2–3?
  3. What did God promise Abram concerning his heir?
  4. What did God tell Abram to look at in verse 5?
  5. How did Abram respond to the Word of the Lord in verse 6?

Reflect

  • Where are my circumstances telling me something different from what God has said?
  • Am I waiting to see results before I choose to believe?
  • What situation has become so large in my view that it is affecting what I believe?
  • Where might I need to change my perspective and begin looking at what God says instead of only what I see?

Further Scripture Reading

Romans 4:18–21

 

SECTION 4 — POSSESS THE LAND GOD HAS GIVEN YOU

Focus

God promised His people land, but they still had to possess it. There is a difference between having an inheritance promised and actually taking possession of it.

In the same way, there can be areas of our lives where something else is occupying territory that should belong to God. Wrong thoughts, attitudes, habits, and spiritual opposition cannot simply be accepted as permanent residents.

We need to know who we are, know what belongs to us, and move forward to possess the territory God has given us.  

Read

Deuteronomy 11:22–25

Respond

  1. What does Deuteronomy 11:22 tell God’s people to carefully do?
  2. According to verse 23, what would the Lord drive out before them?
  3. How are those nations described compared with Israel?
  4. According to verse 24, what would become their territory?
  5. What did God promise concerning those who would stand against them?

Reflect

  • What area of my life is God calling me to possess rather than surrender?
  • What is occupying territory in my thoughts, attitudes, or habits that should not be there?
  • Have I confused knowing a promise of God with actually walking in it?
  • What does “taking the land” look like practically in my life right now?
  • What step do I need to take to begin possessing that territory?

Further Scripture Reading

Joshua 1:1–9

 

SECTION 5 — KEEP ADVANCING WHEN YOU FACE OPPOSITION

Focus

Advancing into new territory can bring opposition. Resistance does not automatically mean we are going the wrong direction.

Paul described having a great and effective door opened to him while also facing many adversaries. Disappointment, tragedy, struggle, and discouragement can cause us to stop advancing, but sons and daughters are called to keep moving forward.

We may encounter resistance, but we do not have to retreat. Get back up. Keep coming. Take more ground.    

Read

Matthew 11:12; 1 Corinthians 16:8–9

Respond

  1. According to Matthew 11:12, what does Jesus say about the Kingdom of heaven?
  2. What does Paul say had opened to him in 1 Corinthians 16:9?
  3. How does Paul describe that open door?
  4. What did Paul say existed alongside the great and effective door?
  5. What do these passages show about expecting resistance while advancing?

Reflect

  • Where have disappointment or discouragement caused me to stop advancing?
  • Have I interpreted opposition as a reason to back down?
  • Is there something I once pursued with faith that I have slowly retreated from?
  • Where is God calling me to get back up and move forward again?
  • What would it look like for me to keep advancing even if the opposition does not immediately disappear?

Further Scripture Reading

Ephesians 6:10–18

 

FINAL ENCOURAGEMENT

“Possess the land. Take the land. Move forward. Advance.”

Know who you are. You are a son or daughter of God and an heir according to the promise. Your circumstances do not determine your identity, and opposition does not cancel what God has spoken.

Ask the Holy Spirit to show you where you have stopped advancing. Maybe disappointment or discouragement caused you to back away. Maybe something has occupied your thoughts, habits, relationships, or another area of your life for so long that you have accepted it as permanent.

Believe the Word of the Lord over what you see. Identify the land God is calling you to possess and take a step forward.

You may face opposition. You may get knocked down. Get back up and keep coming.

Take the land. Move forward. Advance.