Don't Love the World

Opening question: What do you like the most about the world we live in?

Read the following story about the people of the world, from God’s point of view:

Genesis 11:1-9
1 At one time, the whole Earth spoke the same language. 2 It so happened that as they moved out of the east, they came upon a plain in the land of Shinar and settled down. 3 They said to one another, "Come, let's make bricks and fire them well." They used brick for stone and tar for mortar. 4 Then they said, "Come, let's build ourselves a city and a tower that reaches Heaven. Let's make ourselves famous so we won't be scattered here and there across the Earth." 5 GOD came down to look over the city and the tower those people had built. 6 GOD took one look and said, "One people, one language; why, this is only a first step. No telling what they'll come up with next -- they'll stop at nothing! 7 Come, We'll go down and garble their speech so they won't understand each other." 8 Then GOD scattered them from there all over the world. And they had to quit building the city. 9 That's how it came to be called Babel, because there GOD turned their language into "babble." From there GOD scattered them all over the world.

James 4:4,5
4 You're cheating on God. If all you want is your own way, flirting with the world every chance you get, you end up enemies of God and His way. 5 And do you suppose God doesn't care? The proverb has it that, "He's a fiercely jealous lover."

1 John 2:15-17
15 Don't love the world's ways. Don't love the world's goods. Love of the world squeezes out love for the Father. 16 Practically everything that goes on in the world -- wanting your own way, wanting everything for yourself, wanting to appear important -- has nothing to do with the Father. It just isolates you from Him. 17 The world and all its wanting, wanting, wanting is on the way out -- but whoever does what God wants is set for eternity.

Discussion questions:
1. What do you think “the world” is referring to in the verses above?
2. Why do you think God wanted to keep the people from building their tower?
3. Agree or disagree: Jealousy is always wrong.
4. What is a “fiercely jealous lover”? Can you think of a possible example?
5. What’s wrong with “wanting” something?
6. What does it mean to be “set for eternity”?
7. How can we be set for eternity?