What God has Already Given You (and how to walk in it) | Season 8 Ep 1

What does it really mean to claim your spiritual inheritance? In this powerful opening to Season 8, we explore the remarkable journey of James, son of Zebedee, from ordinary fisherman to extraordinary apostle.

When Jesus approached James and John on their father's fishing boat, they immediately dropped their nets and followed Him. This radical response changed the trajectory of their lives forever. But following Jesus didn't lead where James initially expected. Though nicknamed a "Son of Thunder" and often displaying selfish ambition alongside his brother, James underwent a profound transformation through his proximity to Christ.

The spiritual inheritance James received wasn't the position of power he initially sought. Instead, God had designed something far greater: purpose, transformation, and spiritual significance. As part of Jesus's inner circle, James witnessed extraordinary events—the raising of Jairus's daughter, the Transfiguration where Moses and Elijah appeared, and Jesus's agony in Gethsemane. These experiences shaped his understanding of God's kingdom far beyond what he could have imagined when first dropping those nets.

What are you willing to leave behind to follow Jesus? God has a plan, a path, and a purpose designed specifically for you—an inheritance far greater than whatever you might leave behind. Won't you claim it today?

Transcript

Welcome to Grab the Faith Season 8

Speaker 1 0:00

Hey all, thank you for joining us here at Grab the Faith, where we try to grab the faith and run with it. Join us as we try to learn a little more, grow a little more and live a lot more. I'm your host, bobbi Gentry Goodwin. Stay tuned for this week's episode in season eight, trying to just grab this faith and run on with our lives in Christ that he may get the glory, that he may get the honor and that he alone may get the praise. Now listen as we start season eight. I hope you had a nice hiatus.

Speaker 1 0:45

We took a break after season seven and listen. I had a great hiatus. I was traveling all over the place. I did some resting and way too much eating and listen. That's what life is about sometimes that you just have to pause and partake in the things that God has given you and listen. When I took my break, I was partaking let's be clear, partaking way too much in all the blessings that God has given to me. So I thank you for joining me again. Thank you for joining me. I see someone on, Ms Birch. Thank you for joining me and being with me today.

Speaker 1 1:23

So let's get into the lesson, because we have an exciting lesson. We have been studying these disciples, the 12, the disciples of Christ, and listen, I appreciate your presence as you just try to get to go deeper in God and learn about his word more. So are you ready? If you're ready, come on with me because I'm ready this afternoon. Listen, we are on season eight and that number symbolizes a new beginning. Now you might be ready to begin this season, but are you ready for things anew in your life? Are you ready to just take hold of God and what he has done for you, what he is doing in your life and what? You ready to just take hold of God and what he has done for you, what he is doing in your life and what he wants to do? Are you ready to start a spiritual discipline, to pray more, to read the Bible more, to reflect more, get a devotional there's plenty of devotionals out there or even start attending worship services? As we broach into season eight the number of new beginnings are you ready to do something new in Christ? We're here at Grab the Faith. We're coming off of our growth track Bible study, our growth track about studying all about Christianity, and we are ready to take hold of what God wanted to do with these disciples.

Speaker 1 2:51

So our last season we studied the disciple. The last episode of last season, we studied none other than disciple Simon the Zealot. So if you don't know about him or want to know about him, go back on the podcast. We have studied seven other disciples and Simon the Zealot was our last, and tonight we fall on Disciple 8, season 8, disciple 8. Tonight we are going to be studying none other than James, james the son of Zebedee, than James, james the son of Zebedee. And if you'll be so kind, just go ahead and rate, subscribe to this podcast or even tell a couple of people about it, so we all can be reading and bathing in the word of God. Now listen, let's get to this study. Who we done study? Who we done study? Have you been with me along this day? Well, first we studied Judas, then we studied Peter, then we studied Philip, then we studied Andrew, then we studied Nathaniel, then we studied Thomas and we decided we're not going to call him Dalton Thomas, no more, we just going to call him Thomas. Then we studied Simon the Zealot and tonight, as I mentioned, we're studying James, the disciple James.

Speaker 1 4:07

Now there are a couple of disciples named James in the 12. There's James the son of Zebedee, who we'll be studying tonight, and James the son of Alphaeus, just like there was a couple of Simons in the group of disciples before Jesus changed the name of one of the disciples to Peter. So, not to mention, there was a lot of James. There was a couple of James in that 12, that original 12. But there's a lot of other James in the Bible. Ok, there's James who is Jesus's brother, referred as Jesus's brother, who even wrote the book of James. I even have a brother named James. Okay, james is a common name, but this son of Zebedee has something for us to learn tonight John's older brother. We have something that we are going to dive in tonight and I hope it encourages you like it encouraged me.

Speaker 1 5:02

James, the son of Zebedee, one of the Jameses that was in Jesus's inner circle, was not a slouch. See, the other James was not a part of Jesus's inner circle. What made this James become part of the inner circle? See, he loved Jesus, just like his brother, john, and Jesus loved him just like he loved John, just like he loved all the disciples, just like he loves you and me today, and in fact, he called both brothers at the same time, they were working alongside their father as fishermen, which was common in that day.

Speaker 1 5:41

All of them, right, the fathers Zebedee, james and John, was just sitting on that boat mending their nets, living their regular lives, and, out of nowhere, jesus tapped them on the shoulder and said follow me Right from the family business. They dropped their nets and followed him. They dropped their nets and followed him. What was this about Jesus that can make you turn away from the life that you were living? What is this about this Jesus that will make you turn away from the things that you were doing to follow him? Well, let's go to scripture and find out.

Speaker 1 6:19

We're going to be couching in Matthew 4, verses 21 and 22, which says this a little farther up the shore, he saw two old other brothers, james and John, sitting in a boat with their father, zebedee, repairing their nets, and he called them to come too. He had called two other brothers before this and he called these brothers to come too. They immediately that's what the Bible said they immediately followed him, leaving their foe and their father behind. Jesus instructed them to follow him and they did immediately. They left things behind to follow him and they did immediately. They left things behind to follow him. They left their father behind and they left their father's business behind, their family business. They did all of that just to follow Jesus. See, they left some things behind, but they gained some things, and in the course of this study tonight, we're going to find out what they gained.

Speaker 1 7:27

These brothers, james, the son of Zebedee, and John, gained an inheritance. Yes, they left their father's business. They left what they were doing with their father and their investment that they had in that business, but they gained a new inheritance. They left something to gain something. And I just want to park here right now because, listen, if God is calling you, if God wants you to be a part of his team, do not think that whatever you're leaving is not better than what you're going to. You may have to leave some things behind, but oh, does he have richness for you. Oh, does he have so many things for you that you can't even imagine. See, we're going to learn what is waiting in God tonight. They left some things behind, but surely these brothers gained way more than they anticipated.

Speaker 1 8:24

Tonight, the topic of this Bible study is claim your inheritance. Claim your inheritance Now. As I mentioned, John was one of the 12. James, and John was part of the 12. James was known by Jesus, and John too, as the sons of thunder, and James in particular was the only other apostle whose death was recorded in scripture. See, if you've been following me, we studied Judas already. We know that Judas's death was covered in scripture, but the only other disciple that was covered in scripture, his death, was James. James, like many others, not only died for the cause of Christ, but he was changed through Christ. Christ, but he was changed through Christ. James went through a change in himself, he went through a transformation. I could just think of the song Change Me, o Lord, change Me, by Tamela Mann. See, james didn't think that a change was coming, but listen, anytime you follow Jesus, there's a change coming.

James: Son of Zebedee and Thunder

Speaker 1 9:45

Like many of us, we can look back on our lives, on how we used to be and what God has done for us, what God has transitioned us to, what God has transformed us in, who he has transformed us to be. See, before we started following Jesus, we were one way, but after we followed Jesus, we was a whole, nother way. And when we gave up our life and our devotion to him, we were changed and made new. We had a new beginning. Anybody glad about that new beginning? I'm glad. As we learn this class, we learn it in this class. I'm glad about this new beginning.

Speaker 1 10:30

See, in scripture we find James going from, at times, a very selfish man to someone who was willing to die for his faith. See, there's a reason why Jesus recorded his death in the word of God, a reason why God allowed his death to be identified the way he died in the scriptures. Well, what happened to James? What made a difference in his life? Well, you know what made a difference. I know what made the difference. This ain't rocket science, none other than Jesus himself. God had a plan for his life. So, if you write notes, point number one God had a plan for his life. James started one way and ended another, and his plan for James was not to be a fisherman, not to be a fisherman. His plan for James was to be a fisher of men. See, he started off as a fisherman, but he ended up being a fisher of men. Jesus called James right off of his family boat, but truth is, he called him a long time ago. That was the first time he actually laid eyes on and met Jesus. But Jesus. God had called him a long time ago.

Speaker 1 11:49

See, in Ephesians, chapter one, it tells us all about it. Chapter one, verses four through five, write down these scriptures Ephesians, chapter one. Ephesians, chapter one, verses four through five, says this even before he made the world, god loved us and he chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes, even before the world was formed. Do you hear what this scripture is telling us? God not only loved us, but he chose us. He set us apart in Christ to be different, to be holy and without fault in his eyes, not in ours. In his eyes outfall in his eyes, not in ours. In his eyes, god decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do. Ain't nobody forced his hand. This is what God wanted to do. And listen, I love this part and it gave him great pleasure. It pleased him to do so.

Speaker 1 13:12

See, some people don't want to see you. Some people don't want you at their house. Some people don't want you on their phone. Some people, when they see your name, they turn up their nose. But not God. He wanted us and because he wanted us. He showed us, through the love of Jesus Christ, just how much that's what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure to do so. And just like that is true with James, that is also true with us.

Speaker 1 13:43

We can learn a little from James tonight. That James, not only was he called on the boat, but he was chosen by God a long time ago. He had a plan for him and he has a plan for you. See, the word doesn't say, as the verses we read, that he chose a disciple. It doesn't say that God chose us, all of us, and he loves all of us, and he wants to use all of us and get this James.

Speaker 1 14:20

James who some might say was selfish, who was also chosen to be holy. He wasn't already there. He was on that boat, men in those nests with his father. He wasn't already holy, he wasn't already righteous. God chose him right where he are. He didn't have to clean himself up to get to God. He was in a process. When God called his name, he was in a process of transformation, just like we born.

Speaker 1 15:38

We're born many people, we're in the womb, we're not even really a part of this world. And then, when we come out of the womb, we already start transforming. We already rooting for food. We didn't need no food in the womb. But when we're born and I'm using this as an illustration when we're born again, we're already in the process of transformation. It's like I was sitting there this week watching the football draft, the NFL draft, with my husband and all these guys are just waiting in the, in the, in the auditorium, just waiting for their name to be called, just waiting for their turn. And when their name is called, in that instant their life change. In that instant things was transformed for them. Won't you let the Lord transform you tonight? See those football players. Their life was just starting in some senses. Let the Lord come into your life and transform, make things anew. We're talking about a new beginning, claiming your inheritance.

God's Plan for Your Life

Speaker 1 16:48

Let's take a look at Mark 10, 35 through 45. Then James and John, the son of Zebedee. Now we're telling you a little bit about where they were at the beginning of the process of their transformation, kind of in the mid range, right Then James and John, who had already been following Jesus, might I add. Then James and John. Verse 35, says of Mark, chapter 10, the sons of Zebedee came to him, this, him meaning Jesus, teacher. They said we want you to do for us whatever we ask. Now. I just got to pause here because they said they saw Jesus healing the sick, raising the dead. They saw Jesus working miracles Right, they dead. They saw Jesus working miracles, right. They saw when people asked Jesus to do something, he did it for them Many times. He did it for them, right. They seen this going on. So they said wait a minute, we want a part of this, we want a part of the blessing, right. So James and John, the son of the deputy, came to him.

Speaker 1 17:45

Teacher, they said we want you to do for us whatever we ask and we like that with Jesus. We follow you, jesus, we teach in Bible study, we are going to church. We want you, we want you to do whatever we ask. Right Now you can relate to these brothers. Verse 36 says what do you want me to do for you, he asked. They replied let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in glory.

Speaker 1 18:15

Jesus says to them verse 38, you don't know what you're asking. Jesus said can you drink the cup I drink or be baptized with the baptism? I am baptized with. Jesus schooled them in that moment. You don't know what you're asking, see. Sometimes, when we go to God wanting what we want, we don't know what we're asking. See. He has a plan for us, but we got our own plan, and sometimes our plan is not a good one. Let's be clear about this.

Speaker 1 18:47

These brothers there were 12 disciples, as we say they were all traveling with Jesus right At some point or another. But these brothers who was, I think, the fourth and fifth to be called, or the maybe the third and fourth to be called that had been traveling with Jesus, they didn't care about one and two. They didn't care about one and two. They didn't care about the ones that came behind. They were thinking about themselves, a little selfishness going on. They heard what he was doing, they saw what he had done. They heard him teaching about the kingdom of God, not the kingdom of James and John, see, but a little part of them may have wanted it to be the kingdom of James and John. We're going to sit on your right and your left in glory, but these two had no idea what the plan of God for them was. They had something clearly else in mind. They followed Jesus, but they got a little stuck, and sometimes we can get stuck too. See, they had their inheritance at mind, sitting on their grand chairs in glory, but that's not the inheritance that Jesus had given to them. It wasn't what they thought.

Speaker 1 19:57

See, both of my parents are deceased and we cleared a lot of things up after they died. If you've ever been in that space where you're clearing up things when your parents die or people that you know you're their descendants, it's a lot of work. But me and my sister family, we cleaned up and did everything. Cleaned up all the business, all the home, all the everything. But listen, my sister called me last year and said hey, daddy got some unclaimed property. She had been on this website and found my daddy's name on it. Hey, there's some unclaimed property that my dad has that your dad has. Take a look at this website and see if you can get it. Well, I was excited. Listen, I was so excited. I logged on and I said what belongs to us, because we're associated with our father, what belongs to us Immediately? I went onto that website, and when I say immediately, I mean immediately. And listen, when I logged on, I saw 15 cents. You know you can't make a dollar out of 15 cents. I saw 15 cents. It wasn't what I expected, see, I was expecting a windfall.

Selfish Ambition vs. Divine Purpose

Speaker 1 21:06

Sometimes, just like these brothers, we expect a lot of things from following Jesus. We expect howdy, howdy, blessing, blessing. We don't expect suffering. We don't expect sacrifice. We don't expect giving of ourselves. We don't expect that part. Many of us right James and John wanted to be positioned in the kingdom, but instead they were positioned in the kingdom, but instead they were positioned for the kingdom. See, they wanted position in the kingdom, but God said I'm not going to give you this big old throne to sit on. Instead, I'm going to position you for the kingdom. We want to be positioned for greatness, our bank account to look a certain way, our burdens to be light, our sorrows to be non-existent. But let me tell you tonight the inheritance that Christ has for you. Thank God, we don't get what we want. Sometimes, thank God, we don't get what we expect or what we deserve. Jesus has a plan for us. God has a plan for us and he has a path. If you're writing notes point number two as we're rounding the end, jesus has a path for you. Our desire path is not sometimes God's path. For us, path is not sometimes God's path for us.

Speaker 1 22:27

Let's travel back to Ephesians, chapter one again. See, after we're a chosen, adopted into the family of Christ, we get a new name in Christ and we get the inheritance that comes along with him. Ephesians chapter one, verses 11, says this furthermore, because we are united with Christ, we have received an inheritance from God, for he chose us in advance and he makes everything work out according to his plan. That's the path of God. See, we talked about being united with Christ and receiving this inheritance and how he chose us in advance. But we can't forget. And he makes everything work out. Don't you want things to work out for you? Don't you want things to work?

Speaker 1 23:21

Listen, the message version says it like this it's in Christ that we find out who we are and what we're living. For Long before we first heard of Christ and got our hopes up, he had his eye on us, had designs on us for glorious living, part of the overall purpose. He's working out, not we working out, he's working out in everything and everyone. Glory to God this afternoon to have God of the heaven working out everything for you, everything for your good, not just your health, because we just might want our health, not just your money. We just may want the money, not just your job and career. We might just want the career, everything God is working out for you for glorious living. See, people can squander their inheritance, but not when it's in God's hands. See, we got to claim our inheritance and when we do, it's in good hands, thank God. I don't want things in my hands sometimes, I want them in God's hands.

Speaker 1 24:33

And as we see Jesus working out James's path, we see the path that he puts him on inner circle, giving James something else to live for, while taking him closely right along with him. Something else to look forward to, something else to live for and, to put it simply, it was out of this world. James is with Jesus in his inner circle on the path that he puts him on. That leads not only to transformation but to purpose. See, he was, since he was so close to Jesus in this inner circle, walking down the path he put him on. He saw incredible things. He was with Jesus when he healed the sick, raised the dead. He was privy to be on the Mount of Transfiguration. He was privy to see God raise a girl from the dead and even God, jesus himself said don't tell nobody about it. Everybody. He put everybody out. It's just us in this room and don't you tell nobody about it. He was on the Mount of Transfiguration when he heard God speak audibly, even with Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, james sees a much better picture of the kingdom than he could ever have imagined. Not everybody heard God speak audibly. Okay, when he saw Moses and Elijah. Not everybody's seen Moses and Elijah, but that's the path that God put James on.

The Path God Designed For You

Speaker 1 26:08

What path has God put you on? This afternoon, when we walk close to Jesus, we'll see some things, get a new vision and a new purpose. Last point God has a purpose for your life. Claim your inheritance. James not only saw things, experienced things, experienced a bigger purpose than sitting on the boat cleaning up some nets. Listen to me tonight as we end this study. If you learn anything from this study tonight, learn that God that loved you and chose you has a plan for you and he has a path for you that he wants to put you on that leads directly to your purpose. He has all these things set up for you. He has you period. But the question tonight, this afternoon, becomes do you have him See in order to claim our inheritance, we got to be related, we got to have some association to Jesus, we got to be grafted and adopted in and we have to get off the boat.

Speaker 1 27:28

We have to leave some things behind. Let go of our former life or our former vision of our life. Leave our idea of power, leave our idea of what we want our life to look like. When we follow Jesus, we let him lead, we follow, we let him lead and we follow. And sometimes, as we follow if you ever play follow the leader you don't know what's in front of you. Your eyes are so fixed on the back of the person that you're following. Hey, jerry, the eyes are so fixed on the back of the person that you're following Sometimes you can't even see what's in front of you. Let the Lord lead you. He has designed your life exactly for you, but in order to grasp it, you got to claim the inheritance.

Speaker 1 28:33

Thank you for joining me. I hope you enjoyed this Bible study of James, the son of Zebedee, who claimed his inheritance. Don't let him pass you by. If you see Jesus and he's tapping you on the shoulder, don't let him pass you by. He has an inheritance for you, won't you claim it. God bless you and may he keep you. We're off to season eight. Join me for our next episode here on Grab the Faith, and may God bless you and keep you always. The, the, the. Thank you.