1 Good morning RCF. My name is Caleb Little and I am one of the pastors here. I am thrilled that you all have chosen to join us outside for church this morning. Thank you for being flexible as we continue to adjust and make changes with all that is going on with covid and our county. High School and middle school students you are dismissed at this time to the back patio where Pastor Levi is prepared for you. I would like to take a moment to draw your attention to the wood cutting project we have going for this next Saturday Oct. 17th. Please contact the church office if you are interested in helping with this event. We are going to be supplying firewood for several families within our church body. We need people to run wood splitters and chainsaws and if you have a dump trailer I would like to speak with you. So if you are interested please contact the church office or pick up a flyer at one of the tables in the back. Alright, I think that is all the housekeeping stuff So a couple weeks ago, pastor John asked me if I would preach this morning and he did a very dangerous thing- he gave me the freedom to pick any passage and topic. He provided no boundaries, he turned me completely loose. In all honesty I really do prefer to be assigned a passage as it can be a bit daunting to try and figure out what exactly to focus in on. The Bible covers a lot, and how does a pastor determine what exactly will be beneficial for the congregation to hear? Even more importantly, what does the Holy Spirit want to communicate to the hearts of those who will hear this message? So for the last couple weeks I have been wrestling with the issue of what passage to choose, which of course dictates what topic you are going to discuss. I began reading through the book of Luke and I got stopped at Luke 7:36 because it has convicted me. Now there is a good chance that you are more spiritually mature than I am and have not struggled like I have over the last few months, but- perhaps there are one or two of you that will find Luke 7 relevant, beneficial, and even a bit convicting, like I did. The message this morning could be a bit challenging for anyone who has a strong opinion about anything. If I do my job well this morning I hope that Luke 7 will speak to the heart of every stanch conservative and every stanch liberal. If I do my job well this morning I hope that Luke 7 will speak to the heart of every individual who holds a committed view on any social justice issues like abortion, homosexuality, climate change, racial injustice, the use of force by police and the list goes on and on. If I do my job well this morning I hope that Luke 7 will speak to the heart of every individual who holds a passionate view on how things should be done at work or how relational issues in your family should be resolved. If you have a strong opinion about anything (the best flavor of pie) than I would ask that you listen closely to Luke 7 and consider what the Holy Spirit might be speaking to you this morning. Now before we go any further, I want to be careful to communicate that this message is not asking you to stop holding your convictions. This message is not trying to convince anyone to give up any political, social or cultural views. I think it is healthy to have convictions and strong 2 opinions. I hope you vote and you are passionate about your vote, I believe it is your civic duty. I think people should have strong, informed views but if you are a Christian, if you know that Jesus Christ was crucified on a cross to pay for your personal sins, then as a Christian we each bear a unique responsibility that is peculiar and weird to much of the world in which we live. This morning, we are going to talk about how to fight, More specifically how is a Christian supposed to discourse and debate someone who holds a different view! I’ll say it again, there is nothing wrong with holding convictions with passion, but the danger with strong and passionate views is that humans are capable of severing relationships and even physically attacking people who hold different views. As we work through our passage this morning there is a good chance that you might get offended. I say this because I got offended while preparing the message. We will be starting this morning in Luke 7:36 but I find it absolutely appropriate, ironic and perhaps even funny that right before our passage Jesus Christ declared in verse 23, “blessed is the one who is not offended by me.” Truth is offensive. God’s word is truth and is therefore offensive. So the question for us this morning before we even get started, how do you respond when God’s word offends you? I don’t like it. I know I can’t argue against my Creator but oh it stings my pride. Do you surrender to God’s word and allow the Holy Spirit to begin a work in you or do you make excuses and find ways around it. I think if we are honest, each of us at certain times struggles to surrender to God’s truth and the example that Jesus Christ provides. Is Jesus Christ Lord of your life? Is Jesus Christ your boss, your authority, your master, your Lord? Or are you like so many of us who prefer Jesus to be our Savior who saves us from our sins. But are perfectly content to stop there. We like Jesus Christ as our Savior but we are not too inclined to allow Jesus be our Lord- because if Jesus is our Lord than we have to surrender and I would much rather do what I want when I want, however I want. So the declarations before we get going: 1. This message is for anyone who has a strong view or opinion about anything. 2. There is absolutely nothing wrong with having strong convictions, opinions and views. 3. Jesus declares: “blessed is the one who is not offended by me.” 4. Truth is offensive, God’s word is truth therefore God’s word is offensive. 5. How do you respond to God when you are offended? Do you submit to Him or do you refuse God’s authority in your life? Would you pray with me as we prepare to dig into God’s word, Lord we thank you for the ability to gather this morning to sing praises to you and to be challenged by your word. For the children and youth that are in their various classes this morning, we pray that You, Jesus Christ are being infused in their hearts in such a way that You will be their Savior and Lord for their entire lives. Holy Spirit speak to each and every heart this 3 morning as we examine your Word. It is in the all-powerful name of Jesus Christ that we pray, Amen. To give some context for our passage, Luke 7:36, Jesus Christ is well into his public ministry. Where we are going to drop into the historical timeline of Jesus’ life, He has already produced many miracles, Jesus has healed the sick, raised the dead, chosen his 12 disciples, cast out demons and Jesus has provided many teachings that are definitely raising eyebrows among the religious elite. Jesus is the talk of the entire region and is accumulating quite the following and reputation. People are interested in Jesus, they want to hear his teachings and watch his miracles. He is also becoming a bit of a controversial individual. Some declare him to be the long awaited King that would reestablish Israel to her full glory, some thought he was a prophet and others saw Jesus as a threat. So with that bit of context, lets dig in: Luke 7:36-38 36 One of the Pharisees asked him to eat with him, and he went into the Pharisee’s house and reclined at table. 37 And behold, a woman of the city, who was a sinner, when she learned that he was reclining at table in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster flask of ointment, 38 and standing behind him at his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head and kissed his feet and anointed them with the ointment. 391 There is a lot going on at this dinner that is completely foreign to our modern American culture so it is important that we gain some cultural understanding: It was not uncommon for the Pharisee to invite a guest speaker from the synagogue to their house afterwards for a meal. Since Jesus was often allowed to teach in the synagogues it is possible that this is how this dinner party came to pass. It was also common for the invited guests to sit on low couches that would be situated around a low table, almost like a mattress that is set directly on the floor. This is very different from our dining room table and chairs that allow ample room for feet and legs to be under the tables.