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
0.11UNLIKELY
Disgust
0.12UNLIKELY
Fear
0.14UNLIKELY
Joy
0.58LIKELY
Sadness
0.47UNLIKELY
Language Tone
Analytical
0.31UNLIKELY
Confident
0UNLIKELY
Tentative
0.34UNLIKELY
Social Tone
Openness
0.63LIKELY
Conscientiousness
0.63LIKELY
Extraversion
0.27UNLIKELY
Agreeableness
0.96LIKELY
Emotional Range
0.56LIKELY
Tone of specific sentences
Tones
Emotion
Language
Social Tendencies
Anger
< .5
.5 - .6
.6 - .7
.7 - .8
.8 - .9
> .9
Gabriel’s Good News
Text: Luke 1: 5-13; 18-20
5 In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, of the division of Abijah.
And he had a wife from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth.
6 And they were both righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and statutes of the Lord.
7 But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and both were advanced in years.
8 Now while he was serving as priest before God when his division was on duty,
9 according to the custom of the priesthood, he was chosen by lot to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense.
10 And the whole multitude of the people were praying outside at the hour of incense.
11 And there appeared to him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense.
12 And Zechariah was troubled when he saw him, and fear fell upon him.
13 But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John.
[1]
18 And Zechariah said to the angel, “How shall I know this?
For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years.”
19 And the angel answered him, “I am Gabriel.
I stand in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news.
20 And behold, you will be silent and unable to speak until the day that these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time.”
[2]
Luke reminds us that the birth of Jesus doesn’t begin in Bethlehem, nor does it begin with Mary.
The events of the birth of Jesus begins in Jerusalem with Mary’s cousin named Elizabeth.
You may remember Elizabeth from Sunday school she’s been barren she’s never conceived she’s struggled with fertility.
And when you meet her in Luke 1, she’s post menopause
· Child barring is way behind her
· Yet the Lord decides in Luke 1, that He is going to take this barren post-menopausal barren woman and open her womb to have a child.
And the Lord decides to allow Elizabeth to get pregnant for one reason
· Make sure you don't miss this... God answers Elizabeth's prayer for a child for one reason
Because the Lord knows in a few months He’s going to show up to Mary and Mary is going to hear the will of God and she's going to struggle with it.
· He going to tell Mary something that her mind cannot understand or accept and seems impossible and unreasonable
· How can a virgin have a child, so the Lord moves in Elizabet's life
Because He knows sooner or later that Mary's going to struggle and she's going to need a living example to testify that God can do anything God wants to do
Make sure you catch this:
· The Lord takes a seasoned saint barren woman and gives her a child so a virgin who will be conceived by the Holy Spirit can look at her and know
· That if God can do it with her, then God must be able to do it with me.
· Elizabeth's pregnancy served one purpose... Mary's encouragement
Watch how the pregnancy goes down: God sends Gabriel an angel to go tell Zacharias that they are going to have a baby
Zacharias is Elizabeth's husband the angel shows up and says:
· I've got some good news for you the Lord has answered your prayers
· You are going to have a son, his name will be John
· And he will be great
Notice how Zacharias responds: verse 18
18 And Zechariah said to the angel, “How shall I know this?
For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years.”[3]
· How!
· I am old...
And watch him throw his wife under the bus...
And so is she
· There is no way that me at my age and her at her age are going to have a baby
And when Gabriel hears Zacharias asks how... Gabriel goes off!
Vs 19 And the angel answered him, “I am Gabriel.
I stand in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news.
[4]
In Street language: Gabriel hears Zacharias asks how and this is how he responds: What did you say to me? Do you know who I'm my name is Gabriel put some respect on it when you’re speaking to me
I stand in the presence of the Lord and the Lord sent me here to tell you that God has heard your prayer and God’s going to give you a child and you ask me how?
Vs 19: Gabriel says because you ask me how I’m going to shut your mouth for nine months you can’t say anything for punishment for doubting the Word of God
Six months later the same Angel sent to Nazareth tapped Mary on the shoulder and said, Mary, I've got some good news for you
· The Lord has favored you
· You are going to have a son, his name will be Jesus and he will be great
· Doesn't that sound familiar
· I got some good news Mary God has chosen you
You are going to have a son… His name will be Jesus...
And he will be great!
Watch this: Vs 28-34
28 And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!”
29 But she was greatly troubled at the saying and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be.
30 And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.
31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus.
32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most - High.
And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David,
33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”
34 And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?”
[5]
Mary responds: How?
I'm a virgin...
The same angel who went off on Gabriel says... Don't worry about all that Mary, God got you...
You don't have to sweat all the details... Come here see the Holy Spirit is going to come upon you and Gods going to do what God says… just pack your bag and go on over to Elizabeth’s house and see what God is able to do.
Vs 34 And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?”
[6]
Did you catch it… the same angel gives the same message both respond the same way asking how?
· And Zacharia gets punished, and Mary gets comforted
· How can they both be guilty of the same question, and one gets punished and the other comforted
· Why is God more upset with Zacharias' question than he is with Mary's question
What is it about Zacharias' doubt than it is about Mary's doubt
· Part of the answer you must remember why Elizabeth is pregnant... Elizabeth is pregnant for one reason
· To encourage Mary
So, in Elizabeth God is trying to create an encouraging environment so that when Mary shows up
· She'll be in an environment that helps her when she is struggling
· That encouraged her when she is confused
· That gives her aid when she doesn’t know what God is doing
· God says I am trying to surround Mary with people who reminds her that… God is able!
And in the midst of God creating an encouraging environment here comes Zachariah
· Doubting
· Speaking negativity
· Saying what it cannot be…
· And the angel silences him as if to say Mary is on her way and when she gets here, she doesn’t need to hear all that negativity!
But what really puzzles me is that God sends Gabriel to Zachariah anyway?
STAY WITH ME:
When the announcement of Jesus comes, the angel is sent to Mary the mother saying I need to let you know what God is doing!...
But when the announcement about the birth of John, the angel is sent to Elizabeth the mother, the angel is sent to Zachariah the father.
The reason it doesn’t make since to me because if the angel is sent to Mary, why not send the angel to Elizabeth?
Or if the angel is to speak to Zachariah, why not send the angel to Joseph?
And when you really think about it, if I was Joseph, I would have preferred that if you were going to tell me that this was by the Holy Spirit, God would have told me first!
Because in Matthew 1:18, it says: 18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way.
When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit.
[7]
· Now she didn’t tell him, she went away to Elizabeth’s house and came back 3 months later showing and he finds out and she comes talking about it’s the Lord!
< .5
.5 - .6
.6 - .7
.7 - .8
.8 - .9
> .9