The Blessed Life - Pt. 2 - The Shared Life Series

The Blessed Life

Part 2 – The Shared Life

I. Introduction

You can choose to live your live based on luck. However, if you do that you must also be prepared to experience a hit or miss type of life. Luck is fleeting. Luck can’t be counted on. Luck gives you no guarantees. That is why I am challenging you to alter the way you live from trying to live lucky to learning how to live blessed. Living blessed comes with guarantees. You can live blessed even on bad days.

You will remember that I mentioned to you last week that I believe there are 4 ways we must live in order to step into a blessed life. The first way we must live is to live a generous life. I challenged you because it seems that most of us seldom even do what is required much less move into the generous level. Without generosity you will never become the mature believer that Christ desires for you to become. I realize that generosity goes against our nature, but as we discipline ourselves to become generous we engage in killing our old man.

So, today I want to examine another step in moving into a blessed life. I believe in order to be blessed you must not only live a generous life, but also a shared life!

II. Background

Just a quick refresher that reveals God’s desires to bless us! In Genesis 5:1-2 that I read to you last week we discovered that from day one of man’s life on the planet God reveals that He desires to bless us.

Then in Duet. 28:1-14 we see a long list of the ways He wants to bless those that obey Him. It is summarized in

Duet. 28:6

6You will be blessed when you come in and blessed when you go out.

Blessings on every turn. Blessings from every direction. So we are to be blessed.

So as we did last week, I want you to say this with me so that I know we are in greement . . . “The Generous Life is a Blessed Life. The Shared Life is a Blessed Life!”

So how does living a shared life factor into this blessing?

III. Tet

Acts 2:38-47

38 Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.” 40 With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.” 41 Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day. 42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. 44 All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. 46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor (FAVOR EQUALS BLESSING) of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

IV. The Shared Life

a. A shared life cannot be uncommon!

We know that a shared life is uncommon! We just don’t see it very often. However, we know from the Genesis account that God knew that an unshared life is an unhealthy life. He didn’t want us to be alone! That was more than just about a spouse. It was divine insight that man needs relationship! Jesus Himself models for us that a shared life cannot be uncommon and that a shared life is needed. In Mark 3:14 we are told, “He appointed twelve that they might be with him.” Did you catch that? To be with Him! To share life with Him. That passage could have said, “To serve Him, to work for Him, to worship Him, etc.” All valid. However, He wanted them to be with Him – relationship . . . shared life!

We begin to share our lives when we find common ground. We live a shared life when we can relate to one another from a place of common victory, common struggle, or common pain. If we are going to share our lives we must share our souls? When is the last time that you celebrated a victory with someone in this room? When is the last time you shared a defeat with someone in this room? When is the last time you shared pain with someone in this room? Have you shed any tears or shouted any praise with anyone in this room? How about anyone on your row?