Messages from the Movies #2 Schindler's List: Help the Helpless
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Grace Church holds a Meet & Greet for those who are newer to Grace Church on the 4th Sunday of each month following the service in CJ's coffee shop. It is a great opportunity to meet the staff and leadership of Grace Church and learn a little more about the church. It also gives us an opportunity to learn a little about you! Contact Leslie Booher if you have any questions ([email protected]).
Each Saturday in October
We hope you'll pick a Saturday in October to join us as we prepare the church grounds for the winter months. 9:00 am to 12:00 pm or whatever time you can give.
If you have them available, please bring: work gloves, wheelbarrow, hedge trimmer (or whatever you have to cut bushes and grasses).
Contact Ryan Hickey with questions ([email protected]).
We hope you'll pick a Saturday in October to join us as we prepare the church grounds for the winter months. 9:00 am to 12:00 pm or whatever time you can give.
If you have them available, please bring: work gloves, wheelbarrow, hedge trimmer (or whatever you have to cut bushes and grasses).
Contact Ryan Hickey with questions ([email protected]).
Sunday, October 12th - David Shaver
Monday, October 13th - David & Connie Berkimer, Josh & Meagan Sams
Wednesday, October 15th - Seth Noteboom
Thursday, October 16th - Sherry Snider, Evelyn Nowicke, Londyn Wright
Friday, October 17th - Gary & Connie Neff, Jacob & Samantha Brinckman
Saturday, October 18th - Jacob Brinckman
Monday, October 13th - David & Connie Berkimer, Josh & Meagan Sams
Wednesday, October 15th - Seth Noteboom
Thursday, October 16th - Sherry Snider, Evelyn Nowicke, Londyn Wright
Friday, October 17th - Gary & Connie Neff, Jacob & Samantha Brinckman
Saturday, October 18th - Jacob Brinckman
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Our series this month is Messages from the Movies. Each week we are going to use a contemporary movie to illustrate a concept, look at the theme from Scripture, delve into the idea and try to get a deeper understanding of it's meaning and then apply the principle to our life.
1993 movie Schindler's List
Directed by Stephen Spielberg
The movie recounts the true story of Oskar Schindler who was a German industrialist at the start of World War II. Oskar was responsible for saving the lives of over 1,200 Jews during the Holocaust by employing them in his factories and thus protecting them from death at Auschwitz.
After witnessing the Nazis' brutality and violence against Jews, despite the danger it involved, Schindler decided to help as many Jewish laborers as he could. Most of them lived after the war was over and had families & grandchildren, which would not have been possible without Schindler. Today there are over 8,000 descendants of those who lives were saved. All because Schindler was willing to Help the Helpless.
Directed by Stephen Spielberg
The movie recounts the true story of Oskar Schindler who was a German industrialist at the start of World War II. Oskar was responsible for saving the lives of over 1,200 Jews during the Holocaust by employing them in his factories and thus protecting them from death at Auschwitz.
After witnessing the Nazis' brutality and violence against Jews, despite the danger it involved, Schindler decided to help as many Jewish laborers as he could. Most of them lived after the war was over and had families & grandchildren, which would not have been possible without Schindler. Today there are over 8,000 descendants of those who lives were saved. All because Schindler was willing to Help the Helpless.
Helping the Helpless is the central theme of Scripture. There are numerous commands that direct us to do such and stories illustrating this principle.
Psalm 82:3
Isaiah 1:17
Psalm 82:3
Isaiah 1:17
Psalms 82:3
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3 Defend the cause of the weak and fatherless; uphold the rights of the afflicted and oppressed.
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Isaiah 1:17
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17 Learn to do right; seek justice and correct the oppressor. Defend the fatherless and plead the case of the widow.”
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A Bible story that illustrates this theme is found in Jeremiah 38:1-13.
It deals with the prophet Jeremiah who has found himself in a deep hole-literally!
The backdrop to this story is that the prophet Jeremiah is preaching God's message of impending doom to the southern kingdom of Judah (vv. 2-3).
This was not a popular message to those in power (v. 4).
King Zedekiah was a puppet king placed in power by the Babylonians and he caved into the pressure of the loudest voices, not the most Godly or logical (v. 5).
The officials put Jeremiah into a cistern of mud (v. 6).
It's critical that when we see or hear of injustice, we get involved (vv. 7-13).
It deals with the prophet Jeremiah who has found himself in a deep hole-literally!
The backdrop to this story is that the prophet Jeremiah is preaching God's message of impending doom to the southern kingdom of Judah (vv. 2-3).
This was not a popular message to those in power (v. 4).
King Zedekiah was a puppet king placed in power by the Babylonians and he caved into the pressure of the loudest voices, not the most Godly or logical (v. 5).
The officials put Jeremiah into a cistern of mud (v. 6).
It's critical that when we see or hear of injustice, we get involved (vv. 7-13).
Jeremiah 38:1-13
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1 Now Shephatiah son of Mattan, Gedaliah son of Pashhur, Jucal son of Shelemiah, and Pashhur son of Malchijah heard that Jeremiah had been telling all the people:
2 “This is what the LORD says: Whoever stays in this city will die by sword and famine and plague, but whoever surrenders to the Chaldeans will live; he will retain his life like a spoil of war, and he will live.
3 This is what the LORD says: This city will surely be delivered into the hands of the army of the king of Babylon, and he will capture it.”
4 Then the officials said to the king, “This man ought to die, for he is discouraging the warriors who remain in this city, as well as all the people, by speaking such words to them; this man is not seeking the well-being of these people, but their ruin.”
5 “Here he is,” replied King Zedekiah. “He is in your hands, since the king can do nothing to stop you.”
6 So they took Jeremiah and dropped him into the cistern of Malchiah, the king’s son, which was in the courtyard of the guard. They lowered Jeremiah with ropes into the cistern, which had no water but only mud, and Jeremiah sank down into the mud.
7 Now Ebed-melech the Cushite, a court official in the royal palace, heard that Jeremiah had been put into the cistern. While the king was sitting at the Gate of Benjamin,
8 Ebed-melech went out from the king’s palace and said to the king,
9 “My lord the king, these men have acted wickedly in all that they have done to Jeremiah the prophet. They have dropped him into the cistern, where he will starve to death, for there is no more bread in the city.”
10 So the king commanded Ebed-melech the Cushite, “Take thirty men from here with you and pull Jeremiah the prophet out of the cistern before he dies.”
11 Then Ebed-melech took the men with him and went to the king’s palace, to a place below the storehouse. From there he took old rags and worn-out clothes and lowered them with ropes to Jeremiah in the cistern.
12 Ebed-melech the Cushite cried out to Jeremiah, “Put these worn-out rags and clothes under your arms to pad the ropes.” Jeremiah did so,
13 and they pulled him up with the ropes and lifted him out of the cistern. And Jeremiah remained in the courtyard of the guard.
2 “This is what the LORD says: Whoever stays in this city will die by sword and famine and plague, but whoever surrenders to the Chaldeans will live; he will retain his life like a spoil of war, and he will live.
3 This is what the LORD says: This city will surely be delivered into the hands of the army of the king of Babylon, and he will capture it.”
4 Then the officials said to the king, “This man ought to die, for he is discouraging the warriors who remain in this city, as well as all the people, by speaking such words to them; this man is not seeking the well-being of these people, but their ruin.”
5 “Here he is,” replied King Zedekiah. “He is in your hands, since the king can do nothing to stop you.”
6 So they took Jeremiah and dropped him into the cistern of Malchiah, the king’s son, which was in the courtyard of the guard. They lowered Jeremiah with ropes into the cistern, which had no water but only mud, and Jeremiah sank down into the mud.
7 Now Ebed-melech the Cushite, a court official in the royal palace, heard that Jeremiah had been put into the cistern. While the king was sitting at the Gate of Benjamin,
8 Ebed-melech went out from the king’s palace and said to the king,
9 “My lord the king, these men have acted wickedly in all that they have done to Jeremiah the prophet. They have dropped him into the cistern, where he will starve to death, for there is no more bread in the city.”
10 So the king commanded Ebed-melech the Cushite, “Take thirty men from here with you and pull Jeremiah the prophet out of the cistern before he dies.”
11 Then Ebed-melech took the men with him and went to the king’s palace, to a place below the storehouse. From there he took old rags and worn-out clothes and lowered them with ropes to Jeremiah in the cistern.
12 Ebed-melech the Cushite cried out to Jeremiah, “Put these worn-out rags and clothes under your arms to pad the ropes.” Jeremiah did so,
13 and they pulled him up with the ropes and lifted him out of the cistern. And Jeremiah remained in the courtyard of the guard.
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Jeremiah was in a situation similar to the Jewish people we learned about earlier. Just like Schindler, Ebed-Melek stood up and spoke up to Help the Helpless. When we respond in this manner, we reflect the heart and character of God.
Psalm 68:5
God's people must be conscious of the world around them. Listening, seeing, asking, and feeling the needs of those in our church and in our community.
1 John 3:17-18
Galatians 6:10
Psalm 68:5
God's people must be conscious of the world around them. Listening, seeing, asking, and feeling the needs of those in our church and in our community.
1 John 3:17-18
Galatians 6:10
Psalms 68:5
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5 A father of the fatherless, and a defender of the widows, is God in His holy habitation.
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1 John 3:17-18
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17 If anyone with earthly possessions sees his brother in need, but withholds his compassion from him, how can the love of God abide in him?
18 Little children, let us love not in word and speech, but in action and truth.
18 Little children, let us love not in word and speech, but in action and truth.
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Galatians 6:10
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10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to the family of faith.
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Opportunities are all around us to demonstrate God's love. Pray and ask God to help you be obedient to respond to the opportunities God gives us to help.
God declares in the Scriptures that all men are...
- sinners separated from Him and His goodness
- selfishly living in rebellion as little gods
- seeking to justify ourselves by our own standards
- serving God's enemy, Satan
- spiraling downward toward judgment
We are truly helpless. We need someone to stand up, get up, speak up, and show up for us.
Schindler did this to save the Jews and Ebed did this for Jeremiah.
God's love for humanity caused Him to create a way for us to be saved.
John 3:16-18
- sinners separated from Him and His goodness
- selfishly living in rebellion as little gods
- seeking to justify ourselves by our own standards
- serving God's enemy, Satan
- spiraling downward toward judgment
We are truly helpless. We need someone to stand up, get up, speak up, and show up for us.
Schindler did this to save the Jews and Ebed did this for Jeremiah.
God's love for humanity caused Him to create a way for us to be saved.
John 3:16-18
John 3:16-18
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16 For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that everyone who believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.
17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.
18 Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe has already been condemned, because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.
17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.
18 Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe has already been condemned, because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.
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This is our purpose as individual Christians, Christian families, and as a Christian church...to be like Jesus and to help the helpless.
All of us can help somebody!
Oskar Schindler and Ebed-Meleck used their time, resources, and creativity to draw close to those in need. They were willing to get out of their comfort zone and take a risk.
Both of them are remembered for what they did for others.
1. Pray
2. Look
3. Re-order
4. Step
5. Speak
6. Rally
7. Minister
All of us can help somebody!
Oskar Schindler and Ebed-Meleck used their time, resources, and creativity to draw close to those in need. They were willing to get out of their comfort zone and take a risk.
Both of them are remembered for what they did for others.
1. Pray
2. Look
3. Re-order
4. Step
5. Speak
6. Rally
7. Minister
