Bible Fellowship Class using YouVersion 5-day bible study Double Blessing by Mark Batterson

1. Double Blessing
How to Get It. How to Give It.
Mark Batterson

3. Original Blessing
Genesis 1:28
Philippians 4:7
Flipping the
Blessing
John 16:33
Genesis 12:2-3
Holy Anticipation
Zechariah 9:12
Isaiah 61:7
1 Timothy 5:17
2 Kings 2:9
Playing the
Long Game
Matthew 25:31-40
James 4:2
Matthew 7:7
Four lessons from 5-Day Bible Study
Please turn in your bible to these verses
Double Blessing

4. Before original sin, there was original blessing. And so life is!
That first blessing sets the tone, sets the table. It establishes the emotional baseline and
spiritual trend line of Adam’s life.
It also reveals God’s most ancient instinct.
Blessing is God’s default setting—His first and foremost reflex.
If you don’t believe that, you’ll doubt the goodness of God. And if you second-guess the
goodness of God, you’ll forfeit His blessing.
ORIGINAL BLESSING Genesis 1:28 & Philippians 4:7
Double Blessing

5. Because the truth is, God wants to bless you beyond your ability to ask or imagine.
What is the blessing of God? It’s God—God with us, God for us, God in us. To reduce it to anything
less dishonors God and devalues the blessing.
• God with us is joy unspeakable & the peace that surpasses understanding (Philippians 4:7).
• God for us is His favor, the X factor between the best we can do and the best God can do.
• God in us is power, resurrection power.
What happened in Genesis has more to do with your future than you might imagine. But like
Adam, you’ve got to position yourself for that blessing.
Because the blessing of God is more than a mystery to solve. It’s a decision to make, a habit to
form, and a mindset to establish. My prayer is that this is the beginning of a new season of
blessing in your life.
ORIGINAL BLESSING Genesis 1:28 & Philippians 4:7
Double Blessing

6. What could you do right now to prepare for a
new blessing from God?
How could you position yourself to be watching
for a greater sense of His presence and joy?
ORIGINAL BLESSINGDouble Blessing
GROUP QUESTIONS

7. Original Blessing
Genesis 1:28
Philippians 4:7
Flipping the
Blessing
John 16:33
Genesis 12:2-3
Holy Anticipation
Zechariah 9:12
Isaiah 61:7
1 Timothy 5:17
2 Kings 2:9
Playing the
Long Game
Matthew 25:31-40
James 4:2
Matthew 7:7
Double Blessing

8. The blessing of God is not an immunity card against pain and suffering.
He Himself endured far more than His fair share of earthly troubles, including the cross! What
makes us think we can become like Jesus without going through some of the same struggles He
did?
But take note—this promise doesn’t end with “trouble.” Don’t make the mistake of putting a
period where God puts a comma! In the same breath, Jesus declared, “But take heart! I have
overcome the world.”
God has postured Himself to bless you from the very beginning. The Hebrew word for “blessing,”
barak, is repeated 330 times in the Old Testament. It means to bless the one who blesses you.
FLIPPING THE BLESSING John 16:33 / Genesis 12:2-3
Double Blessing

9. Some of God’s blessings are as simple and straightforward as the sunrise.
Others are more difficult to discern, like the blessing of brokenness.
But of this I’m certain: the blessing of God is the solution to your biggest problem, the answer to
your boldest prayer, and the fulfillment of your bravest dream.
Just as “trouble” doesn’t have the final word in our lives, the endgame of God’s blessing is not
getting but giving!
God doesn’t bless us to raise our standard of living. God blesses us to raise our standard of giving.
That idea is as old as the Abrahamic covenant in Genesis 12:2–3. Even better, the old covenant has
been updated and upgraded by what Christ accomplished on the cross.
FLIPPING THE BLESSING John 16:33 / Genesis 12:2-3
Double Blessing

10. Simply put, we are blessed to bless.
The way we turn a blessing into a double blessing is by flipping the blessing.
In other words, we get a blessing by giving a blessing.
That is counterintuitive and countercultural, but that is the miracle. And you will be a bigger
blessing to more people because of it.
FLIPPING THE BLESSING John 16:33 / Genesis 12:2-3
Double Blessing

11. When has blessing someone been a
blessing to you?
FLIPPING THE BLESSINGDouble Blessing
GROUP QUESTION

12. Original Blessing
Genesis 1:28
Philippians 4:7
Flipping the
Blessing
John 16:33
Genesis 12:2-3
Holy Anticipation
Zechariah 9:12
Isaiah 61:7
1 Timothy 5:17
2 Kings 2:9
Playing the
Long Game
Matthew 25:31-40
James 4:2
Matthew 7:7
Double Blessing

13. There are six “double promises” in Scripture.
1. The prophet Isaiah promised a double portion of joy or prosperity, depending on your
translation
2. The apostle Paul conferred double honor on those who lead well
3. A double portion of Elijah’s spirit netted twice as many miracles in the ministry of Elisha
4. Perhaps the most unique binary blessing in the Bible is declared by the prophet Zechariah
HOLY ANTICIPATION Zechariah 9:12 Isaiah 61:7
1 Timothy 5:17 2 Kings 2:9
Double Blessing

14. Zechariah declared this double blessing to Jewish prisoners of war, but he called them prisoners of
hope.
If you let your circumstances define the way you see God, you are a prisoner of perspective. Or
worse, a prisoner of your past mistakes!
But if you let God define the way you see your circumstances, you are a prisoner of hope.
Israel had experienced a bitter defeat at the hands of Babylonians. They were at the mercy of their
captors, who had defiled their temple and mocked their God.
But God reminded them of who would have the last laugh. For their pain, He prescribed the
promise of double blessing.
HOLY ANTICIPATION Zechariah 9:12 Isaiah 61:7
1 Timothy 5:17 2 Kings 2:9
Double Blessing

15. You cannot claim the promises of God like a game of Pin the Tail on the Donkey, but every promise
has your name on it.
Every blessing in the Bible is part and parcel of our spiritual birthright by virtue of what Christ
accomplished on the cross.
Positioning ourselves for those blessings begins by kneeling at the foot of the cross and ends with
us casting our crowns before the throne of God.
In between, we flip every blessing we receive. Flipping the blessing enables you to live with holy
anticipation, waiting to see what God does next.
HOLY ANTICIPATION Zechariah 9:12 Isaiah 61:7
1 Timothy 5:17 2 Kings 2:9
Double Blessing

16. If you cultivate a double-blessing mindset that is focused on flipping every blessing, you better
buckle your seat belt.
Because God is going to open the windows of heaven and pour out more blessing than you can
contain.
Not material blessings.
Giving produces joy, and more joy is just what the world needs!
HOLY ANTICIPATION Zechariah 9:12 Isaiah 61:7
1 Timothy 5:17 2 Kings 2:9
Double Blessing

17. Original Blessing
Genesis 1:28
Philippians 4:7
Flipping the
Blessing
John 16:33
Genesis 12:2-3
Holy Anticipation
Zechariah 9:12
Isaiah 61:7
1 Timothy 5:17
2 Kings 2:9
Playing the
Long Game
Matthew 25:31-40
James 4:2
Matthew 7:7
Double Blessing

18. Every statistic about people living below the poverty line or experiencing homelessness reveals how
much our cities are hurting below the surface.
Every number has a name, every name has a story, and every story matters to God.
We live in a fallen world surrounded by hurting people. The good news? God’s kingdom is coming,
and we are the conduits of His blessing.
Seeking the health of your city and caring for the poor and hungry may sound daunting, but it is
really just another invitation from God to bless others and receive His blessing in return.
It’s the way we play the long game, the giving game!
PLAYING THE LONG GAME Matthew 25:31-40 James 4:2 Matthew 7:7
Double Blessing

19. Show me the size of your dream, and I’ll show you the size of your God. So what are you believing
God for?
Of course, no matter how big your dream is, God is bigger still!
Blessing is yours for the asking, but the only way to keep it is to give it away.
In the words of the martyred missionary Jim Elliot, “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to
gain what he cannot lose.”
So who will you bless today? How will you bless them?
What are you waiting for?
PLAYING THE LONG GAME Matthew 25:31-40 James 4:2 Matthew 7:7
Double Blessing

21. What is a prayer for blessing that you have
been hesitant to ask God for?
In light of the Scripture passages above, why
are you hesitant?
PLAYING THE LONG GAMEDouble Blessing
GROUP QUESTIONS

22. Prayer Requests

23. Double Blessing
How to Get It. How to Give It.
Mark Batterson