Sermon Tone Analysis

“You never listen to me!”

“You never listen to me!”

Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me!

What is God

This phrase that pre-dates the mid-1800s is probably one that you have heard or said at some point.

When someone says something to us, that feels like a knife cutting into our very soul, the pain is so acute that we may want to scream.

We feel vulnerable, wounded, and broken, so we either lash out, or try to prove, perhaps to them or to ourselves, that what these words had no effect on us...so we tell ourselves or others that the only way we can be hurt is by a physical beating.

The Doctrine of God

Like me, perhaps as a child, or even as an adult, have you ever said these words, or at least felt them?

Have you uttered these words as tears streamed down your face?

Like me, perhaps as a child, or even as an adult, have you ever said these words, or at least felt them?

Have you uttered these words as tears streamed down your face?

The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.

(Psalm 19:1)

It is nearly impossible to lock ourselves away from the searing pain of words that cut into us.

We long to be known and loved, and this sort of speech against us violates us and leaves us feeling rejected and maybe even worthless.

Some have perhaps resolved this pain by shutting out the world, but ultimately, they know this is not the right solution.

You never listen to me!

Have you ever sat down with someone, poured out your feelings, maybe even your soul, and received a blank stare?

Perhaps they heard what we said, but the way they reacted to our self-revelation showed us that they hadn't actually been listening?

We poured yourselves out into a cup that couldn't hold any water.

In a world, full of pain and suffering we long to be heard with attention, to be listened to.

We long to be engaged, helped, and encouraged.

But so often we speak when people hear but they are not truly listening.

In a world, full of pain and suffering we long to be heard with attention, to be listened to.

We long to be engaged, helped, and encouraged.

But so often we speak when people hear but they are not truly listening.

I can’t stand you!!!

If you considered times that you have become angry with a loved one, a friend, or anyone else, how many times did it happen simply in a moment?

When we become angry, isn’t it because we had spoken to someone who didn't listen or understand what we were saying, they interrupted us, perhaps spoke a harsh word back to us, and then the dialogue began to crumble?

Doesn't most anger come from a lack of listening, understanding, and words said with haste and lack of thought?

Doesn't anger that seems to come quickly usually come because listening is too little and missing the point, and speaking is too quick and not on target?

Doesn't anger that seems to come quickly usually come because listening is too little and missing the point, and speaking is too quick and not on target?

Our common condition

This is all of our condition…speaking too quickly, hearing but not listening, and being quick to anger.

We have either received it from others or given it to them.

But this isn't something that simply happened when we were children, it probably happened to us this last week or even this morning.

What if I told you there was a way out of this mess?

What if I told you that this is not only how things were not intended to be, but that there was a path going forward to listen correctly and speak properly, where anger was slow, and words were timely and sweet?

What if I told you that we didn't have to wait until heaven to experience a part of this?

What if I told you there was a way out of this mess?

What if I told you that this is not how things were meant to be, and there is a path going forward to listen correctly and speak properly, where anger was slow, and words were timely and sweet?

What if I told you that we didn't have to wait until heaven to experience a part of this?

In , the half-brother of our Lord tells us that: because of Gospel-power, received from God as a gift, we are enabled to live lives that produce God’s righteousness in our interactions with others that will result in being one who is a quick and effective listener, offers timely and encouraging words, and is slow to engage in man-powered anger.

Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.

Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.

Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.

Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.

Interactions by man-power (20)

Hearing without listening (slow to listen)

Hearing without listening (slow to listen)

Speaking to ourselves (quick to speak)

Speaking to ourselves (quick to speak)

Demonstrating our imagined kingship (quick to anger)

Demonstrating our imagined kingship (quick to anger)

Hearing without listening (slow to listen)

Slow to listen

Speaking to ourselves (quick to speak)

Demonstrating our imagined kingship (quick to anger)

Slow to listen

In a song, “The Sound of Silence”, written in 1963-1964 by the 21-year old Paul Simon of Simon & Garfunkel he wrote: “And in the naked light I saw ten thousand people, maybe more.

People talking without speaking.

People hearing without listening.

People writing songs that voices never shared, no one dared disturb the sound of silence.”

When asked later in life what the meaning of this song was, he said that it was about, “the inability of people to communicate with each other, not particularly internationally but especially emotionally, so what you see around you are people unable to love each other.”[1]

Slow to listen

Human beings

[1] Eliot, Marc (2010).

Paul Simon: A Life. John Wiley and Sons.

p. 40.

[2] Scott R. Swain, Trinity, Revelation, and Reading: A Theological Introduction to the Bible and Its Interpretation (London; New York: T&T Clark, 2011), 31.

Quick to speak