Taking Hold of
Eternal Life (Or Not)
Genesis 11:1-9 –
New International Version (NIV)
1 Now the whole world had one language and a common speech. 2 As
people moved eastward, they found a plain in Shinar and settled there.
3 They said to each other, “Come, let’s make bricks and bake
them thoroughly.” They used brick instead of stone, and tar for mortar. 4 Then
they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to
the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves; otherwise we will be
scattered over the face of the whole earth.”
5 But the Lord
came down to see the city and the tower the people were building. 6 The
Lord said, “If as one people
speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan
to do will be impossible for them. 7 Come, let us go down and
confuse their language so they will not understand each other.”
8 So the Lord
scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the
city. 9 That is why it was called Babel—because there the Lord confused the language of the whole
world. From there the Lord
scattered them over the face of the whole earth.
What did the “whole world” have (verse 1)?
Where did the
people settle (verse 2)?
In your opinion,
why did they use brick instead of stone (verse 3)?
Why were they
going to make a city with a tower that reaches to the heavens (verse 4)?
What did the Lord do
to see the city and the tower the people were building (verse 5)?
In your opinion,
what does God mean when He says “nothing
they plan to do will be impossible for them” (verse 6)?
How did the Lord
interrupt the people’s plan (verse 7)?
When did they stop
building the city (verse 8)?
Why was the city
called Babel (verse 9)?
In your opinion, what is the basic
message of this passage?
John 12:42-45 - New
International Version (NIV)
42 Yet at the same time many even among the leaders believed in
him. But because of the Pharisees they would not openly acknowledge their faith
for fear they would be put out of the synagogue; 43 for they
loved human praise more than praise from God.
44 Then Jesus cried out, “Whoever believes in me does not
believe in me only, but in the one who sent me. 45 The one who
looks at me is seeing the one who sent me. 46 I have come into
the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in
darkness.
Who believed in
Jesus (verse 42)?
Why did they not “openly acknowledge their faith” (verse 42)?
What did they love
more than “praise from God” (verse 43)?
In your opinion,
what does Jesus mean when He says “whoever
believes in me does not believe in me only, but in the one who sent me”
(verse 44)?
Who does the one
who looks at Jesus see (verse 45)?
Why did Jesus come
into the world (verse 46)?
In your opinion, what is the basic message
of this passage?
In your opinion, what do the people who
wanted a name for themselves in Genesis 11:1-9 have in common with the people
who were afraid to acknowledge Jesus because the thought the Pharisees might
put them out of the synagogue in John 12:42-45?
1 Timothy 6:6-16 -
New International Version (NIV)
6 But godliness with contentment is great gain. 7 For
we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. 8 But
if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. 9 Those
who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and
harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. 10 For
the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money,
have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.
11 But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue
righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. 12 Fight
the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were
called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses. 13 In
the sight of God, who gives life to everything, and of Christ Jesus, who while
testifying before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, I charge you 14 to
keep this command without spot or blame until the appearing of our Lord Jesus
Christ, 15 which God will bring about in his own time—God, the
blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords, 16 who
alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen
or can see. To him be honor and might forever. Amen.
What is great gain (verse 6)?
What will we take from the world (verse 7)?
How will Paul
respond to having food and clothing (verse 8)?
Who falls “into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires”
(verse 9)?
What is the “love of money” (verse 10)?
In your opinion, what does Paul mean when
he says that who have wandered from the faith have “pierced themselves with many griefs” (verse 10)?
What did Paul instruct Timothy to pursue (verse
11)?
What was Timothy called to (verse 12)?
Who gives life to everything (verse 13)?
How long was Timothy to keep the command
(verse 14)?
When will Jesus appear (verse 15)?
Who is immortal and lives in
unapproachable light (verses 15 and 16)?
In your opinion, what is the basic message
of this passage?
In your opinion, what is the difference
between the choice that the leaders who don’t openly acknowledge Jesus have in
John 12:42-45 and the choice between loving money or pursuing godliness that
Paul is discussing with Timothy in 1 Timothy 6:6-16?
In
your opinion, what can Paul’s discussion in 1 Timothy 6:6-16 help us to
understand about the decision to build a city and temple in Genesis 11:1-9?
Revelation 18:9-20
– New International Version (NIV)
9 “When the kings of the earth who committed adultery with her
and shared her luxury see the smoke of her burning, they will weep and mourn
over her. 10 Terrified at her torment, they will stand far off
and cry:
“‘Woe!
Woe to you, great city,
you mighty city of Babylon!
In one hour your doom has come!’
you mighty city of Babylon!
In one hour your doom has come!’
11 “The merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her
because no one buys their cargoes anymore— 12 cargoes of gold,
silver, precious stones and pearls; fine linen, purple, silk and scarlet cloth;
every sort of citron wood, and articles of every kind made of ivory, costly
wood, bronze, iron and marble; 13 cargoes of cinnamon and
spice, of incense, myrrh and frankincense, of wine and olive oil, of fine flour
and wheat; cattle and sheep; horses and carriages; and human beings sold as
slaves.
14 “They will say, ‘The fruit you longed for is gone from you.
All your luxury and splendor have vanished, never to be recovered.’ 15 The
merchants who sold these things and gained their wealth from her will stand far
off, terrified at her torment. They will weep and mourn 16 and
cry out:
“‘Woe!
Woe to you, great city,
dressed in fine linen, purple and scarlet,
and glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls!
17 In one hour such great wealth has been brought to ruin!’
dressed in fine linen, purple and scarlet,
and glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls!
17 In one hour such great wealth has been brought to ruin!’
“Every
sea captain, and all who travel by ship, the sailors, and all who earn their
living from the sea, will stand far off. 18 When they see the
smoke of her burning, they will exclaim, ‘Was there ever a city like this great
city?’ 19 They will throw dust on their heads, and with weeping
and mourning cry out:
“‘Woe!
Woe to you, great city,
where all who had ships on the sea
became rich through her wealth!
In one hour she has been brought to ruin!’
where all who had ships on the sea
became rich through her wealth!
In one hour she has been brought to ruin!’
20 “Rejoice over her, you heavens!
Rejoice, you people of God!
Rejoice, apostles and prophets!
For God has judged her
with the judgment she imposed on you.”
Rejoice, you people of God!
Rejoice, apostles and prophets!
For God has judged her
with the judgment she imposed on you.”
How will the kings of the earth “who committed adultery with her” respond to the smoke of her
burning (verse
9)?
How fast has Babylon’s doom come (verse 10)?
Why will the merchants of the earth “weep and morn over her” (verse 11)?
How would you sum up the cargos that are
listed (verses 12 and 13)?
In your opinion, what do the merchants
mean when they say “the fruit you longed
for is gone from you” (verse 14)?
What terrifies the merchants who gained
their wealth from Babylon (verse 15)?
How do the merchants describe the great
city (verse 16)?
Where will the sea captains and all who
earn their living from the sea stand (verse 17)?
What will they exclaim (verse 18)?
How did the city benefit “all who had ships on the sea” (verse
19)?
Who is to rejoice (verse 20)?
Why are they to rejoice (verse 20)?
In your opinion, what is the basic message
of this passage?
In your opinion, what
does Paul’s discussion in 1 Timothy 6:6-16 show us about the motivation of all
those who are crying “Woe!” in
Revelation 18:9-20?
In your opinion, how are the choices
people made prior to the destruction of Babylon in Revelation 18:9-20 that lead
them to cry “Woe!” or the choices
people made prior to the destruction of Babylon that led them to be commanded
to rejoice similar to the choice that the people of John 12:42-45 were making?
In your opinion, what
is the significance of the people who were building the city and tower on the
plain of Shinar to “make a name for” themselves
being scattered over the face of the earth in Genesis 11:1-9 and that the
people who shared the luxury or sold precious things to, or who transported the
goods to Babylon (which is also on the plain of Shinar) standing far off when
the cry “Woe” in Revelation 18:9-20?
In your opinion, what do these passages
from Genesis, John, 1 Timothy and Revelation help us understand about choices
and consequences?
In your opinion, how
do these passages help us pursue godliness?
(sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)
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