Sermon Based Curriculum
Sermon Date: March 6, 2011
Sermon Title: Fighting the Burn
Sermon Text: Luke 1:16-17
Small Group Text: Prov. 24:11-12; Esther 4:13-17; Matt. 25:33-46
Introduction
"Churches throughout Europe were mostly silent while Jews were persecuted, deported and murdered by the Nazis. Churches, especially those in Nazi Germany, sought to act, as institutions tend to do, in their own best interests -- narrowly defined, short-sighted interests... It has become abundantly clear that [the Churches'] failure to respond to the horrid events...was not due to ignorance; they knew what was happening. Ultimately, the Churches' lapses during the Nazi era were lapses of vision and determination." Victoria Barnett, writer and scholar. www.adl.org/braun/dim_14_1_role_church.asp If Barnett is right, that “the Church’s’ failure to respond to the horrid events...was not due to ignorance” during the holocaust, then why do you think the church stood by and essentially said/did nothing while millions or people were marched off to death? How would your church respond today in a similar situation?
Discussion
Read Proverbs 24:11-12 1. When it is within our power to take action, what is our responsibility toward those being led away to death? 2. What is God's response to lame excuses for not rescuing those being led away to death when it is within our power to do something? 3. What would cause a person to hold back from getting involved and helping people in imminent danger of death? 4. How can this truth (Proverbs 24:11-12) translate into a mandate for Christians to get involved in rescuing those heading toward an eternal fate of hell?
In about 478 B.C., Xerxes, King of Persia, married a Jewish exile named Esther. The book bearing her name tells the story of how Esther risked her own life to defeat a plan to exterminate all the Jews in the Persian Empire. The plan necessitated an audience with the king. But to approach the king without being summoned would risk death. When, in the midst of her daring plan, her courage faltered, Esther’s adoptive cousin, Mordecai, encouraged her with words of wisdom. 5. Read Esther 4:10-17. What thought or emotions do you think Esther may have had at this time (Esther 4:9-11) 6. How did Mordecai's words of encouragement persuade Esther to follow through on her daring plan to rescue those heading toward death? (Esther 4:12-14) 7. It can also be said that the church today exists “for such a time as this” – to rescue those who do not know Christ and who are heading toward certain, eternal death. What risks might you personally face if you join this rescue operation to save souls from perishing in hell? 8. Read Matthew 25:32-40. From this passage, we learn something of our responsibility toward those in need and in peril. How would you summarize this responsibility? 9. Specifically, what is the church’s primary responsibility to those who are heading to an eternity without God toward a place the Scriptures calls “the lake of fire?” (Revelation 20:14)
Application
1. Who do you know that may need to be rescued from eternal death to eternal life? 2. What risks might you face if you were to share the good news of the Gospel with him/her? 3. What is the risk if you don’t share the Gospel message with him/her? 4. What would a “rescue plan” look like as you think about helping this person to know and follow Christ? 5. Many Christians are reluctant to share their faith in Jesus Christ. How is our reticence to share the good news with others similar to the European Church’s inaction during the Holocaust?
Sermon-Based Curriculum