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
0.12UNLIKELY
Disgust
0.07UNLIKELY
Fear
0.1UNLIKELY
Joy
0.62LIKELY
Sadness
0.55LIKELY
Language Tone
Analytical
0.74LIKELY
Confident
0UNLIKELY
Tentative
0.43UNLIKELY
Social Tone
Openness
0.72LIKELY
Conscientiousness
0.78LIKELY
Extraversion
0.07UNLIKELY
Agreeableness
0.77LIKELY
Emotional Range
0.65LIKELY
Tone of specific sentences
Tones
Emotion
Language
Social Tendencies
Anger
< .5
.5 - .6
.6 - .7
.7 - .8
.8 - .9
> .9
When Martin Luther set about challenging the established church and recovering the Biblical gospel, he was challenging how God is to be known.
Theology of the Cross
The Church taught that the way to know God is through the Church.
But Luther insisted that the way to know God is through Christ.
Specifically, Christ and him crucified.
Luther spoke often of a theologia crucis, a theology of the cross, which he contrasted with theologia gloriae, a theology of glory.
Theologians of glory think that God can be known through wisdom, experience and miracles, and that all suffering is bad.
Such ideas were prevalent in Luther’s day.
But Luther strongly challenged those thoughts, because they ran contrary to what he saw in Scripture.
In when Phillip asks in the spirit of the theology of glory, ‘Show us the Father,’ Christ immediately pulled him up sharp.
He took him with his high-flying ideas of seeking God somewhere else and led Philip right back to himself, saying, ‘Philip, whosoever sees me sees my Father as well.’
Therefore, in Christ crucified is the true theology and the knowledge of God.
Luther, Heidelberg Disputation
Disciples of the Cross
Luther maintained that visible things (creation, experiences, miracles) do not (in themselves) reveal God.
Such things lead to human pride.
Rather, God reveals himself to us in what is contrary, back-to-front, upside-down.
So, there is wisdom through folly.
Glory through suffering.
Power through weakness.
Joy through sorrow.
And so on.
All of which is displayed supremely in the cross of Christ.
So this morning, to close off this whole season of looking at the Reformation, we’re in where Paul powerfully displays the truth that Luther would proclaim 1500 years later.
Church of the Cross
How can one man’s death have such a global impact?
• In the limelight from early years, but most prolific later in life
The Wisdom of the Cross
• Mixed reactions from those who saw him
• Surrounded by controversy wherever he went
Theme: The cross is the ultimate display of God’s power and wisdom
Aim: To cling to the cross as the only way to know God and to be saved
• Gained a huge following that exists today
• Just one man, yet his death affected the whole world
You might think I’m talking about Jesus.
I’m actually talking about Michael Jackson!
How can one man’s death have such a global impact?
As a culture, we are both fascinated and fearful of death.
Do you remember last year, when so many celebs were dying?
It became a ‘thing.’
People blamed it on the year 2016, as though it was death himself.
The fallen famous were treated with great respect and a great outpouring of grief.
Or, they at were least trending on Twitter for a day or two.
The King of Pop’s death has sparked a worldwide outpouring of grief.
Example:
In the limelight from early years, but most prolific later in life
Mixed reactions from those who saw him
• Facebook group gained 100,000s members in hours after his death, over 1m after a couple of days.
Surrounded by controversy wherever he went
• Albums dominating top 10 charts.
Gained a huge following that exists today
• Great deal of media interest.
• Now, as details unfold, the whole world wants to know how he died and why he died.
Just one man, yet his death affected the whole world
You might think I’m talking about Jesus.
I’m actually talking about Michael Jackson!
But when it comes to the death of Jesus, it seems the vast majority are not only uninterested in why Jesus died, but actually don’t care, no interest in finding out.
Why is that?
The apostle Paul says it’s because the way and the reason Jesus died doesn’t make sense to unbelievers (v18).
But to those who do believe and follow Jesus, Paul says the cross is the power and wisdom of God.
You might think I’m talking about Jesus.
I’m actually talking about Michael Jackson!
The King of Pop’s death has sparked a worldwide outpouring of grief.
Example:
How can two groups of people have such diametrically opposed views of the death of Jesus?
Especially when you consider that Jesus is the clearest way in which God reveals himself to the world.
Surely such a big thing should make absolute sense to everyone?
The King of Pop’s death has sparked a worldwide outpouring of grief.
Example:
It all boils down to what it is you’re looking for as God reveals himself to us.
How you think God should reveal himself affects your view of the cross.
That’s what was happening in Paul’s time.
Different kinds of people had different kinds of opinions on how God should reveal himself, and that led to different opinions about the cross of Jesus.
Facebook group gained 100,000s members in hours after his death, over 1m after a couple of days.
In these verses Paul highlights a couple of things that people tend to look for to see God’s self-revelation.
These aren’t unique to Paul’s time and culture.
Luther saw it in his day and we see it in ours.
Albums dominating top 10 charts.
Great deal of media interest.
Some people look for…
A sign of his power
Now, as details unfold, the whole world wants to know how he died and why he died.
But when it comes to the death of Jesus, it seems the vast majority aren’t only not interested in why Jesus died, but actually don’t care, no interest in finding out.
Maybe we think that God has to prove himself with signs and miracles if we’re to become his followers.
V22 - “Jews demand miraculous signs…” Jews of Paul’s day waiting for Messiah.
Waiting for God to do things like he did in the days of Moses - plagues, Passover, parting sea, ultimately defeating their enemies.
They thought the Messiah would come and defeat their enemies (the Romans) in the same miraculous and powerful ways.
But when it comes to the death of Jesus, it seems the vast majority aren’t only not interested in why Jesus died, but actually don’t care, no interest in finding out.
So when Jesus came claiming to be the Christ, they demanded a miraculous sign.
Of course, they’d seen Jesus do countless miracles, but they wanted one that was just for them - proof that he really was the Christ.
Why is that?
The apostle Paul says it’s because the way Jesus died doesn’t make sense to unbelievers (v18).
But to those who do believe and follow Jesus, Paul says the cross is the power and wisdom of God.
Because the Jews were expecting such a powerful display of God’s power, the sign that Jesus gave them - his death on the cross - became a huge stumbling-block (v23).
Why is that?
The apostle Paul says it’s because the way Jesus died doesn’t make sense to unbelievers (v18).
But to those who do believe and follow Jesus, Paul says the cross is the power and wisdom of God.
They couldn’t fathom how the Messiah could come to such a weak and defeated end.
That’s not power; that’s humiliating.
So they concluded that he wasn’t the Christ at all.
< .5
.5 - .6
.6 - .7
.7 - .8
.8 - .9
> .9