enduo 10: Small Group Deeper Dive and Devotional
December 9, 2024

Small Group Guide: The Spirit of Sonship

Opening Prayer: Begin by asking God to open your hearts and minds to understand His love as a Father and your identity as His sons and daughters.

Key Takeaways:

  1. The Spirit of God is the Spirit of Sonship, making us secure in our God-given identity.
  2. Sons and daughters are sealed with the Spirit of Sonship, ensuring our permanent place in God’s family.
  3. Understanding our identity as God’s children is key to walking in kingdom authority and blessing.

Discussion Questions:

  1. Read Luke 15:11-32
    The sermon mentions two sons in Jesus’ parable - one who felt unqualified because of sin, and one who felt qualified because of works. Which son do you relate to more, and why?

  2. How has your relationship with your earthly father influenced your view of God as a Father? How can we overcome negative associations?

  3. Pastor Brandon said that: “The law sees God as judge. Grace sees God as Father.” How does this shift in perspective change the way we approach God and live our lives?

  4. Discuss the concept of being “sealed” by the Holy Spirit. How does this truth impact your sense of security in your relationship with God? See Ephesians 1:13

  5. Someone read Romans 8:15. It tells us that fear is the opposite of sonship (or daughtership). In what areas of your life do you struggle with fear, and how can embracing your identity as God’s child help overcome those fears?

  6. In what areas of your life do you struggle to fully embrace your identity as a child of God and why?

Practical Applications:

  1. What are some practical ways we can shift from “talking to God about our problems” to “talking to our problems about our God”? Practice doing this. See how it changes your perspective and life.

  2. Memorize and meditate on the phrase “I am no longer a slave to fear, I am a child of God.” Find the song and commit to listening to it every day this week. See how meditating on right thinking from God’s Word can change your mindset.

  3. Spend time in prayer, addressing God as “Abba, Father” and expressing both your needs and your gratitude to Him as His child.

Closing Prayer: Thank God for His love, for adopting us as His children, and for sealing us with His Spirit. Ask for His help in living out your identity as His sons and daughters this week.

Scriptures From Sermon

Luke 15:11-32 The Parable of the Lost Son
Galatians 4:4-7
Romans 8:12-17
Eph 1:11-14

Devotional Plan

Day 1: Embracing Our Identity as God’s Children
Reading: Romans 8:12-17
Devotional: Today, we focus on our identity as sons and daughters of God. Paul reminds us that we have received the Spirit of adoption, allowing us to cry out “Abba, Father.” Reflect on what it means to be a child of God. How does this identity change your perspective on life’s challenges? Remember, you are no longer a slave to fear, but an heir with Christ. Take a moment to thank God for adopting you into His family and ask Him to help you live confidently in this truth today.

Day 2: The Father’s Love and Forgiveness
Reading: Luke 15:11-32
Devotional: The parable of the Prodigal Son beautifully illustrates God’s unconditional love and forgiveness. Notice how the father runs to embrace his wayward son, offering him full restoration. Have you ever felt unworthy of God’s love due to past mistakes? Remember, like the prodigal son, you too can always return to the Father. He is waiting with open arms, ready to clothe you with His best robe of righteousness. Today, meditate on God’s boundless love and forgiveness, and extend that same grace to others in your life.

Day 3: Sealed by the Spirit
Reading: Ephesians 1:11-14
Devotional: Paul teaches that believers are sealed with the Holy Spirit, guaranteeing our inheritance in Christ. This seal is God’s mark of ownership and protection over us. Consider the permanence and security this brings to your relationship with God. How does knowing you’re sealed by the Spirit impact your daily walk with Christ? Take time to thank God for this assurance and ask Him to help you live in the confidence of His unbreakable promise.

Day 4: From Slavery to Sonship
Reading: Galatians 4:4-7
Devotional: Today’s passage highlights our transition from slavery under the law to sonship through Christ. God sent His Son to redeem us, enabling us to receive adoption as His children. Reflect on the contrast between living as a slave and living as a son or daughter. How does this change your approach to obedience and service to God? Instead of operating from a place of fear or duty, ask God to help you serve Him out of love and gratitude as His beloved child.

Day 5: Inheriting God’s Blessings
Reading: Ephesians 1:3-6, 11-12
Devotional: As God’s adopted children, we are heirs to His spiritual blessings. Paul reminds us that we have been blessed “with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places.” Take time to consider what these blessings might include – peace, joy, wisdom, and more. How can you begin to access and live in these blessings today? Ask God to open your eyes to the inheritance He has prepared for you and to help you walk worthy of your calling as His child.