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.
A score of 0.5 or higher indicates the tone is likely present.
Emotion Tone
Anger
0.51LIKELY
Disgust
0.1UNLIKELY
Fear
0.09UNLIKELY
Joy
0.59LIKELY
Sadness
0.2UNLIKELY
Language Tone
Analytical
0.77LIKELY
Confident
0UNLIKELY
Tentative
0.69LIKELY
Social Tone
Openness
0.76LIKELY
Conscientiousness
0.34UNLIKELY
Extraversion
0.76LIKELY
Agreeableness
0.88LIKELY
Emotional Range
0.53LIKELY
Tone of specific sentences
Tones
Emotion
Language
Social Tendencies
Anger
< .5
.5 - .6
.6 - .7
.7 - .8
.8 - .9
> .9
We tent to think that God needs greatness.
1. Jacob found beauty where we find beauty.
(1) A. Leah was deformed and despised.
Leah’s eyes were weak.
It seems the translators were having a hard time commenting on Lea’s appearance.
(KJV) - Tender eyes
(NIV,ESV,NASB) - Weak eyes
(NRSV) - There was no sparkle in Leah’s eyes
So what does this mean?
It was not a good thing.
Genesis 29:17 (ESV)
17 Leah’s eyes were weak, but Rachel was beautiful in form and appearance.
There is a clear contrast here.
Many scholars believe this...
Leah had soft pail blue eyes in a sparkling brown eyed middle eastern culture.
What we know is that Leah had a deformity that caused her to be looked down on.
vs 31 says she was hated.
Leah was deformed and despised.
She wasn’t good enough.
Leah’s name is telling.
It means weary and warn down.
This was her life.
Living in the shadow of her beautiful and favored younger sister.
The older daughter who had been serving longer than Rachel.
Also probably continued to serve as Rachel entertained guests.
(1) B. Rachel enjoyed outward beauty and favor.
Beautiful in form and well favored.
She was beautiful.
She was talented.
She was well liked and loved.
For Jacob is was love at first sight!
Jacob found beauty where we find beauty.
This is the person we would have loved and chosen!
(1) C. Do you identify with Rachel or Leah?
Bibe college
Didn’t play sports
Not part of the popular crowd
Struggled with grades
Never graduated
When I see my former professors they don’t remember me
While watching other super talented people
Serve on traveling teams
Sing
Preach in chapel
Serve as class and student body presidents
Win championships and travel the world while playing sports
Use all kinds of talents to catch peoples attention
I would see them catch the eyes of the professors
And gain the attention of the administrators.
They were somebody and I would wish I had what they had so my life could make a greater impact for the Lord.
Bi-vocational pastor
It wasn’t a thriving church.
I couldn’t be a part of the thing the other youth pastors were.
They often treated me as though I wasn’t a “real” pastor.
I didn’t have the talent and creative thinking to be able to teach and lead my youth group the way others I knew could.
First Baptist
Who am I to lead a church?
What is there about me, talents do I have to help lead FBC into our next 150 years?
Who am I to train the next generation of pastors and leaders?
Who are we to even think we could have an impact beyond our little church?
That we could somehow be used to encourage other churches to build a culture of biblical disciple-making.
That we should ever have a thought of planting a church in Big Rapids.
CBM
What could I ever bring to the table to help lead CBM into their next 85 years.
Or that our little church could somehow impact church planting and revitalization across the United States through CBM?
None of this makes any sense to me.
It can become overwhelming when I sit and think about it.
So you now know that I identify with Leah.
I have never been a first round draft pick.
Here is what I love about what this passage teaches us about God.
Let’s set the stage...
Jacob loved Rachel more than Leah.
2. God finds beauty where we do not find beauty.
If you find your self identifying more with Lea than Rachel, look at this...
2. God finds beauty where we do not find beauty.
God saw Leah was hated and He opened her womb.
The cause of God opening Leah’s womb was because she was deformed and despised.
God doesn’t just find beauty where we do not, but God is attracted to brokenness.
This isn’t pity… God didn’t do this because He felt bad for Leah
God is attracted to our brokenness and shortfalls.
2. God finds beauty where we do not find beauty.
Consider your calling.
Think about the history of Christianity.
Who did God use to advance His kingdom?
Not many wise, powerful, of noble birth.
They were broken.
Not well known.
Not with political or military clout.
Not people of influence.
Paul is saying God is not looking for...
Men with a bunch of seminary degrees.
Famous celebrities.
Presidents
Governors
He is looking for the losers.
The morons.
The broken people.
The people who don’t get picked first.
The people nobody would ever expect could accomplish anything.
So that nobody can brag about their accomplishments.
< .5
.5 - .6
.6 - .7
.7 - .8
.8 - .9
> .9