Introduction

Have you ever stood on a threshold with your hand on the knob, heart racing, knowing there’s goodness inside but still hesitating to step in? Maybe it’s a fresh calling, a new season, a second chance. Maybe it’s peace after a long storm, or hope after a hard night. God brings us to thresholds. He points to doors. He places keys in our palms. And then He whispers, “Go ahead. It’s yours.”

Israel knew that moment. Sand in their shoes. Promise in their ears. A land laid out like a banquet. God hadn’t invited them to sample; He told them to possess. Not because they were impressive, but because He is faithful. He had already spoken to their fathers. He had already set the table. He had already gone ahead.

There’s a tender strength in the heart of God toward you today. He’s not tapping His foot; He’s holding out His hand. He’s not scowling; He’s speaking. And His voice carries the warmth of welcome and the weight of authority. What if the very thing you’ve been praying for is already placed before you? What if the next step isn’t to wait for a new word, but to walk on the word He’s already given?

Tim Keller once wrote, “The gospel is this: We are more sinful and flawed in ourselves than we ever dared believe, yet at the very same time we are more loved and accepted in Jesus Christ than we ever dared hope.” —Tim Keller

Loved and accepted. That sounds like a door opening. That sounds like a Father saying, “Come in.” When grace grips you, fear loses its footing. When love settles you, you can settle where God sends you. Could it be that your confidence isn’t in how loud you sing or how strong you feel, but in how sure His promise stands?

Let’s set our eyes on the text that will guide us:

Deuteronomy 1:8 (KJV) “Behold, I have set the land before you: go in and possess the land which the LORD sware unto your fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give unto them and to their seed after them.”

There it is—clear, kind, compelling. “I have set… go in… possess.” Three small phrases with mountain-moving meaning: - I have set: God places what He promises. - Go in: Faith puts feet to what God places. - Possess: Obedience holds what faith steps toward.

Some of us feel the pinch of past failures or the pull of present fears. Giants loom. Walls rise. Old memories make new threats. But the Father’s voice is steady: “I have set the land before you.” He isn’t asking you to manufacture a future. He’s inviting you to receive one. He isn’t asking you to be a hero. He’s inviting you to be His child—courageous because He is with you.

Today, we’ll remember that the promise is already given. We’ll hear the nudge to go in and take possession. And we’ll learn to refuse to be counted out—by fear, by fatigue, or by the faint whispers that say, “You don’t belong.” You do belong—because He says so.

Let’s pray.

Father, thank You for setting good things before us—salvation, peace, purpose, and Your near presence. Calm our anxious thoughts and steady our shaking knees. Give us clear ears to hear Your voice, clear eyes to see what You have placed before us, and courageous hearts to step where You point. Where we have stalled, grant us a fresh start. Where we have wavered, give us holy willpower. Where we feel small, magnify our view of Your strength. Today, teach us to trust Your promise, to take the next faithful step, and to hold fast to what You give. Let Your Word warm our hearts and Your Spirit lead our steps. In the name of Jesus, our faithful Savior, amen.

The Promise Is Already Given

“Behold.” That word opens the verse like a bell. It calls for attention. It says look. See what God is showing. The scene is clear. Something has been placed in plain sight.

“I have set the land before you.” That line tells the story of God’s action. He arranged things long before anyone took a step. The ground was marked out. The borders were known to Him. The fields, the hills, the streams. All of it stood before them by His doing. That is how grace moves. It prepares. It places. It presents. This is not wishful thinking. It is real space on a real map. The people did not have to build a world from scratch. They stood before a gift that carried His name on it. When God says He has set something before you, it means it is not hiding. It means you do not have to guess. It is visible. It sits in front of your face like morning light through a window. In your life this takes shape in many ways. Scripture lies open. Promises are printed. The Spirit brings them to mind. A path of obedience stands in reach. You are asked to notice. You are asked to admit that God is good at going first. Your eyes have work to do before your feet do. Look. Take in what He has already arranged.

Then hear the simple call, “go in.” These two words carry weight. They turn sight into steps. They ask for movement. They ask for trust with a body, not only with thoughts. “Go in” means leave standing still. It means act on what you see. The people had to move from edge to inside. That movement is often small. The first step is often quiet. You fill out the form. You make the call. You confess the sin. You open the Bible tomorrow again. You serve in the place you keep thinking about. You show up with a soft heart. Trust does not need a crowd. Trust takes the next step. “Go in” is clear. It does not promise ease. It does not list every detail. It gives enough light for the step at hand. Obedience grows like that. One step makes room for the next step. And each step is a way of saying, God has already done the heavy lifting. My part is to walk into what He has placed in front of me.

“Possess the land.” This calls for more than a quick visit. It means settle. Live there. Treat it as home under God’s rule. Possession includes care. It includes order. It includes daily work. Israel would farm, build, raise children, keep feasts, and follow the law in that place. Promise and practice meet in kitchens and fields and city gates. The same is true for every gift God gives. You do not only receive it. You keep it. You guard it from drift. You feed it with prayer. You hold it with gratitude. You say, this is from the Lord, so I will treat it with honor. When He gives you peace with Him, you hold it by coming near to Him each day. When He gives you a calling, you hold it by steady faithfulness. When He gives you wisdom, you hold it by doing it. Possession is not a sprint. It is long obedience. It is chores and choices. It is worship on normal weeks. It is words that bless in ordinary talks. “Possess the land” turns a moment of gift into a life of stewardship.

“Which the LORD sware unto your fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give unto them and to their seed after them.” This line anchors the whole verse. God tied His name to an oath. He bound Himself to a promise that stretched across generations. That oath did not fade when leaders changed. It did not thin out when the people felt weak. It stood because He said it would stand. The verse speaks of fathers and children. It shows how God carries purpose through time. He remembers Abraham under the stars. He remembers Isaac on the altar. He remembers Jacob at Bethel. He remembers the words He spoke and the grace He planned to show. That same faithfulness reaches us in Christ. The cross confirms the heart of God to give. The empty tomb confirms His power to make it happen. Every word of grace in Jesus carries this same oath-strength. You can trust promises like you trust the sunrise. You can teach them to your children. You can plan your days around them. You can face hard seasons with them in your mouth. The ground under your feet is firm because the God who swore is the God who keeps.

Go In and Take Possession

Deuteronomy 1:8 speaks with plain words ... View this full PRO sermon free with PRO