Titanic

The Movie Clip:
The movie Titanic doesn’t really need a description. It’s the movie everyone in America went and saw in 1997 in spite of knowing how it was gonna end. The ship sank! But it does tell a great love story, and is set to an awesome orchestral soundtrack. Jack Dawson (Leonardo DiCaprio) saves the life of Rose DeWitt Bukater (Kate Winslet) and they become romantically inclined on the maiden voyage of the doomed ship.

The scene that is used for this discussion comes from the end of the movie right after the “death” of the Titanic. Hundreds and hundreds of people are chaotically flailing for their lives in the freezing waters of the North Atlantic waiting to be rescued by the life boats or another passing ship.

Introducing the Movie Clip:
I want to show you a gripping scene from the movie Titanic. Everybody knows the ship sank to the bottom of the ocean on its very first voyage after striking an iceberg in the North Atlantic, but we don’t know what it was like for those who lived through that horrific night. In this scene, I want you to pay close attention to the various attitudes of the people who made it safely into the life boats.

Scene Script: (Only key dialogue will be included as this is such a long scene.)

BEGIN CLIP AT 2 HOURS 47 MINUTES and 20 SECONDS (in Chapter 28).

Jack: It’ll be alright now. It’ll be alright now.

(A crewman of the Titanic blows his whistle and yells for the boats to return.)

Jack: The boats are comin’ back for us, Rose. Hold on just a little bit longer. They had to row away for the suction, but now they’ll be comin’ back.

(The scene changes to the relative calm in the life boats, just a few yards away, within earshot of the people crying out for their lives.)

Boat Leader: You don’t understand. If we go back, they’ll swamp the boat. They’ll pull us right down. I’m telling you!

Mrs. Molly: Knock it off. You’re scarin’ me. C’mon girls, grab an oar. Let’s go.

Boat Leader: Are you out of your mind? We’re in the middle of the North Atlantic. Now do you people want to live or do you want to die?

Mrs. Molly: I don’t understand a one of ya. What’s the matter with ya? It’s your men out there! There’s plenty of room for more!

Boat Leader: And there’ll be one less on this boat if you don’t shut that hole in your face! (Mrs. Molly sits down in the boat.)

(The scene changes again, and we see a few of the life boats trying to organize a rescue run back to the drowning and freezing people. Now the scene changes back to where Rose and Jack are in the water. It’s much quieter now as some time has passed. Most of the people are dead. There is lots of conversation between him and her as they prepare to die.)

Seaman: Right ahead sir.

Lowe: Oars! Do you see any moving?

Seaman: No sir. None moving sir.

Lowe: Check them! Bring that oar up here. Check them; make sure. (The men in the boat begin picking up the dead bodies in the water and looking at them to make sure they are dead. All of them are.)

Seaman: These are dead sir.

Lowe: Now give away. Ahead easy. Careful with your oars. Don’t hit them. Is there anyone alive out there? Can anyone hear me? We waited too long. Well, keep checking them! Keep looking! Is there anyone alive out there? Can anyone hear me?

Transitional Statement:
Some of the people in the life boats wanted to return and help the drowning and freezing people, but others in the life boats did not. When the life boats finally returned to help the people who were treading water, they realized it was too late. They could not be helped because they were dead. All Christians have been given a similar job: help save the lives of people who are dying in their sin. Some of us think that we can take our time in sharing our faith and leading other people to Jesus. But when it comes to something as important as talking about Jesus, we cannot wait too long.

Divide into Small Groups:
Let’s go ahead and split up into our discussion groups, and then afterward we’ll come back together for a final word.

CLICK HERE for a quick training article on how to maximize your small groups using our small group format—a great resource to equip your small group leaders.

Discussion Questions:

1. AROUND THE CIRCLE:As we begin, let’s all take a moment and share our names and the time where we were the coldest in our lives.


2. ASK A FEW: What were the different attitudes of the people in the life boats?


3. ASK SOMEONE: When the life boat full of crewmen got back on the scene of the disaster, what did the leader say when he looked into the water that was full of dead bodies? (Leaders – We waited too long.)


4. ASK A FEW: Knowing that death hung in the balance for so many people, why do you think the people who didn’t want to help reacted that way?


5. ASK A FEW: What do you think you would have done?


6. ASK A FEW: How is our task as Christians similar to the task of the people who were in the life boats? (Leaders – Christians are called to save the world, but we don’t do it by rescuing drowning people. We do it by sharing our faith and leading people to Jesus Christ for salvation!)


7. ASK A FEW: Are most Christians concerned with sharing their faith and saving people, or not? Why?


8. ASK A FEW: How about you? Do you look for ways that you can share your faith, or are you just waiting? Why?

Read the following passage:


1 Corinthians 2:1-5 (NIV)
1When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. 2For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. 3I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling. 4My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, 5so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power.


9. ASK SOMEONE: The Apostle Paul said he limited his interaction with the Corinthians to one thing. What was it? (Leaders – Jesus Christ and Him crucified.)


10. ASK A FEW: Look over this passage again. How did Paul describe his ministry to the Corinthians? (Leaders – Without eloquence, without wisdom, in much fear and weakness and trembling, and without wise and persuasive words.)


11. ASK A FEW: We know that Paul shared his faith even though this passage makes it sound as though he had a difficult time doing so. What does that tell you about Paul?


12. ASK A FEW: What do you think Paul would say to Christians who just want to wait a little longer before sharing their faith and leading people to Jesus?


13. ASK A FEW: What are the things that keep us from sharing our faith and leading people to Jesus?


14. ASK A FEW: What happens to the people around us if we don’t share our faith and lead them to Jesus?


15. ASK A FEW: What are some ways that we can share our faith with others?


16. AROUND THE CIRCLE: How, and with who, will you share your faith this week?

If you need some extra help with this task, stick around when we’re done so we can talk about it some more.

Close in Prayer