Sermon Tone Analysis
Overall tone of the sermon
This automated analysis scores the text on the likely presence of emotional, language, and social tones. There are no right or wrong scores; this is just an indication of tones readers or listeners may pick up from the text.
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Anger
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Disgust
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Analytical
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Openness
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Conscientiousness
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Extraversion
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Emotional Range
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Tone of specific sentences
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Anger
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The danger of running up the escalator is real!
Years ago, as an 8th grader, I made my first trip to the big city of Atlanta for a youth trip.
We all got a kick out of riding the MARTA back and forth to the Georgia Dome for the conference and we saw all kinds of new sights.
One was the biggest escalator I’ve ever seen.
Our group of boys decided to run up the down escalator and the whole thing almost came apart.
I wasn’t fast enough or with enough stamina to make it.
Righteousness by works is like running up the down escalator!
I.
The Danger of Ignorant Righteousness vv.
1-4
Paul continues his discussion and makes his position towards the Jews clear
While he absolutely recognizes that the majority of his people have rejected Christ, he is not celebrating it
His earnest desire is that they would be saved
Paul diagnoses the problem:
It is not that they have a lack of faith, but that faith is misplaced
They do not understand the righteousness of God.
They are ignorant!
They have great zeal to obey the Law, but they are perfectly incapable of doing it
They are equally ignorant of their own inability to keep the Law, but they are deeply invested in proving their righteousness
They love performative righteousness!
Because they do not understand the righteousness of God and did not recognize it in Christ, they rejected Him
When we come to Christ, it puts an end to the Law
He has already fulfilled it and we do not have to attempt to justify ourselves by it
We can cut through the pretense of self-righteousness and trust in Christ
Lillie Baltrip is a good bus driver.
In fact, according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram of June 17, 1988, the Houston school district nominated her for a safe-driving award.
Her colleagues even trusted her to drive a busload of them to an awards ceremony for safe drivers.
Unfortunately, on the way to the ceremony, Lillie turned a corner too sharply and flipped the bus over, sending herself and sixteen others to the hospital for minor emergency treatment.
Did Lillie, accident free for the whole year, get her award anyway?
No. Award committees rarely operate on the principle of grace.
How fortunate we are that even when we don’t maintain a spotless life-record, our final reward depends on God’s grace, not on our performance!
II.
The Two Types of Righteousness vv.
5-7
Next, Paul describes two kinds of righteousness
The first righteousness is based on the Law
It is a basic principle: those who do the commands shall live
It is an “obey and live” righteousness
As we have seen, this is completely true and is consistent with the teachings of Scripture
However, the problem lies with us; we are incapable of obeying that Law so we do not live
The second righteousness is based on faith
While the first righteousness was an impossibility, this righteousness is close at hand and it comes through Christ and His righteousness
It is a “believe and receive” righteousness
It comes as we place our trust in Jesus and His righteousness
1 My hope is built on nothing less
than Jesus' blood and righteousness;
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
but wholly lean on Jesus' name.
Refrain:
On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand:
all other ground is sinking sand;
all other ground is sinking sand.
2 When darkness veils his lovely face,
I rest on his unchanging grace;
in every high and stormy gale,
my anchor holds within the veil.
III.
The Promise of Righteousness by Faith vv.
8-13
Paul goes on to give us 3 truths about the righteousness that comes by faith:
First, we see that it is not far off, but is close at hand v. 8
Faith is simplicity itself
The difficulty is found in its simplicity; we want to do when the Gospel calls us to believe
Further, it defeats any sense of accomplishment or notion of self-righteousness
Second, we see that this righteousness impacts the whole person vv.
9-10
There is an inner transformation as we believe the Gospel
There is a change of mind/belief
It results in our justification, a declaration of innocence before God
There is an outer transformation as we confess Christ
There is a change in confession/lifestyle
It results in our salvation, the deliver of our souls from eternal death to new life in Christ
Third, this righteousness is available to all
We believe that everyone means everyone
It is conditioned on faith in Christ
It is not limited by nationality, culture, denomination, or ritual acts
We know this because there is one Lord and He makes no distinction between Jew and Greek; He is a gracious Father who is ready for His children to call on Him.
Campbell Morgan was one of 150 young men who sought entrance to the Wesleyan ministry in 1888.
He passed the doctrinal examinations, but then faced the trial sermon.
In a cavernous auditorium that could seat more than 1,000 sat three ministers and 75 others who came to listen.
When Morgan stepped into the pulpit, the vast room and the searching, critical eyes caught him up short.
Two weeks later Morgan's name appeared among the l05 REJECTED for the ministry that year.
Jill Morgan, his daughter-in-law, wrote in her book, A Man of the Word, "He wired to his father the one word, 'Rejected,' and sat down to write in his diary: 'Very dark everything seems.
Still, He knoweth best.' Quickly came the reply: 'Rejected on earth.
Accepted in heaven.
Dad.'"
In later years, Morgan said: "God said to me, in the weeks of loneliness and darkness that followed, 'I want you to cease making plans for yourself, and let Me plan your life.'"
Rejection is rarely permanent, as Morgan went on to prove.
Even in this life, circumstances change, and ultimately, there is no rejection of those accepted by Christ.
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