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
0.13UNLIKELY
Disgust
0.11UNLIKELY
Fear
0.16UNLIKELY
Joy
0.48UNLIKELY
Sadness
0.6LIKELY
Language Tone
Analytical
0.4UNLIKELY
Confident
0UNLIKELY
Tentative
0.5LIKELY
Social Tone
Openness
0.73LIKELY
Conscientiousness
0.89LIKELY
Extraversion
0.13UNLIKELY
Agreeableness
0.82LIKELY
Emotional Range
0.63LIKELY
Tone of specific sentences
Tones
Emotion
Language
Social Tendencies
Anger
< .5
.5 - .6
.6 - .7
.7 - .8
.8 - .9
> .9
Some truths can be tough.
Take the truth about a swimming pool, for instance.
This week I heard a smooth voice on the radio tell me how much fun a pool is for the whole family, how glorious on a scorching hot day to dive into the liquid coolness and splash your sweat away.
I might have bought it, except for the fact I happen to own a swimming pool.
I know the tough truth: a pool is not fun unless you are willing to lay out loads of cash and hard work.
The chemicals are expensive, keeping it clean is time consuming and back breaking, and worst of all /never ending.
/Before you buy a pool, you need to know to know the tough truth.
Whether it’s marriage, or becoming a parent, graduating from school or landing a new job, the truth is both tender and tough.
Unlike a pool, I might add, the best things in life are worth the tough truth.
Marriage and parenthood and graduation and new jobs are worth the cost you pay.
Following Jesus belongs in this category of the best things in life.
But there are some tough truths you and I need to keep in mind.
Today we’re going to talk about the tough truth of being a Christian: truth not like ice cream that melts in your mouth, but like steaks, that require chewing to digest.
The tough truths are found in *Mark 6:45-56*.
*PRAYER*
* *Jesus is perhaps the only Preacher Who never, /ever/ shies away from the tough truth.
He often speaks the tender truth of God’s love, God’s grace, God’s mercy for sinners.
He promises provide for us and protect us and never leave nor forsake them.
But He also speaks tough truths: following Him means denying yourself, taking up your cross daily.
He tells whoever endures /to the end /will be saved.
But His disciples are like us: they often welcome the words they want to hear, and ignore the rest.
This is what *vs.
52* means when it says /their heart was hardened.
/It’s not that they /couldn’t/ understand the tough truth; they just prefer to live in denial./
/They forget the wise words of *Job 2:10*: …/Shall we indeed accept good from God, and shall we not accept adversity?
/
Jesus shakes them awake, and us awake, with 3 tough truths about following Him.
The first one is
#.
*Jesus often pushes us out of our comfort zone.
(v.
45-46)*
Previously in this chapter, Jesus and His disciples host a huge picnic, feeding over 5000 people with only 5 loaves and a couple of fish.
It’s a very impressive miracle—so impressive *John 6:15* tells us the crowd wants to …/take Him by force to make Him king/…
I imagine the apostles saying /that’s more like it!
We’ve been wondering when we’ll quit all this wandering and get down to business!
Jesus will surely begin building His kingdom now! /
But before the crowd can put the crown on His head, Jesus loads His apostles up on a boat.
/He *made* His disciples get into the boat= He pushes them /into the boat away from the adoring crowd.
Instead of rallying the people, He sends them all home.
Instead of ascending to a throne, Jesus walks up a mountain to kneel before His Father to pray.
/How can He throw away the opportunity of a lifetime?
He could be King and save the world!
/
/ /Jesus is teaching His apostles and the crowd /and us /some important lessons.
He did not come to win the approval of the crowd.
He did not come just to fill hungry bellies and lead a revolution.
He came to send us into the storm, to push us out of our comfort zone into places where we feel inadequate and even afraid.
His ultimate goal is to push us where He is—/on our knees, praying, depending *completely* on God.
/
Jesus pushes you and me out to the sea.
He’s tells us to get in and go, but most of us cling to the shore.
You’re afraid to go out onto the dark stormy sea.
You’re worried that you won’t be able to paddle back on your own.
You and I do all we can to keep ourselves safe and sound.
If we get in that boat and Jesus shoves us off, we can’t depend on ourselves anymore—we’ve got to depend on Him.
Prayer wouldn’t be just a few words spoken in a hurry on our way somewhere else—/we would have to pray or sink! /The tough truth is /this is where He pushes me and you! /
/ /Somebody said boats are nice and safe in the harbor but that’s not what boats are for!
Ships are made for sailing to places you’ve never been!
/ /I confess I am a landlubber at heart, that being pushed out to sea scares me.
There are times when instead of getting in the boat, I’ve clung to the shore.
But when I let Jesus push me out, I have experienced glories I would never have known had I stayed out of the boat.
Don’t let fear keep you anchored—step in the boat, and let the Lord push you out!
The second tough truth I find here is
*2.
**Jesus is more likely to show up in the storm than the sunshine.
(v.47-52)*
Anybody here know who Rebekah Speight is? She’s a lady who’s eating her chicken nuggets and notices one of them resembles George Washington.
You know how you always carefully examine your chicken nuggets before you eat them.
Well she decides this was so unusual that she didn’t eat the nugget—she auctioned it off on eBay for $8100.
I’ve seen pictures of the nugget, and I say the only way you’d see Washington in it is if you were /looking /for Washington.
Mrs. Speight is maybe a history teacher?
I’ve noticed it seems when many of us look for Jesus, we tend to look for Him in the sunshine.
When times are good we say the Lord is on His throne and all’s right with the world.
But when times are dark, we’re quick to cry out /my God, why have You forsaken me? /
But what if the tough truth is Jesus shows Himself clearest in the dark stormy sea?
This is where the disciples find themselves.
They are rowing for all they’re worth, but getting nowhere.
/…the wind was against them.
/(*v.
48*).
Last time they were in a situation like this, Jesus was with them.
Good thing He was because if He hadn’t stilled the storm, they’d have drowned!
But this time, He’s not in the boat—He’s on the mountain, praying, far removed from their plight.
/He probably doesn’t even realize what we’re going through out here.
/
But Scripture says …/He saw them… /(*v.
48*) Whether naturally or supernaturally, Jesus sees exactly where they are and precisely what they are going through.
Between 3-6 AM,/…He came to them, walking on the sea, and would have passed them by./
We’ll come back to this in a moment.
The apostles are terrified, thinking Jesus is a ghost, but He speaks to them, telling them /Don’t be afraid!
It is I= literally I AM! /He gets into the boat, the winds and waves calm down, and the apostles are astonished and amazed /because they are in denial about what just happened.
/
/ /So what did just happen?
First of all, Jesus strolling on the waves reminds us of Somebody else:
*Job 9:8* /He/ [God] /alone spreads out the heavens, and treads on the waves of the sea; /
*Psalm 77:19* /Your way was in the sea, Your path in the great waters, And Your footsteps were not known.
/
When Jesus passes by the disciples on the sea, we’re reminded of Somebody else:
Moses* Exodus 33:22* /So it shall be, while My glory passes by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock, and will cover you with My hand while I pass by.
/
And Elijah:
*1 Kings 19:11* /And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces…/
When Jesus says /Be of good cheer!
I AM! Do not be afraid.
/we are reminded of Somebody else:
*Exodus 3:14* /…Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’ ” /
This is what theologians call an /epiphany, /when God pulls back the thick veil separating the natural from the supernatural and gives us a glimpse of His glory.
It is as real as the burning bush or Elijah’s whirlwind.
/He shows us His glory in the storm!
/
/ /He shows us the glory of His care.
< .5
.5 - .6
.6 - .7
.7 - .8
.8 - .9
> .9