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
0.1UNLIKELY
Disgust
0.07UNLIKELY
Fear
0.08UNLIKELY
Joy
0.7LIKELY
Sadness
0.51LIKELY
Language Tone
Analytical
0.53LIKELY
Confident
0UNLIKELY
Tentative
0.32UNLIKELY
Social Tone
Openness
0.89LIKELY
Conscientiousness
0.62LIKELY
Extraversion
0.2UNLIKELY
Agreeableness
0.83LIKELY
Emotional Range
0.71LIKELY
Tone of specific sentences
Tones
Emotion
Language
Social Tendencies
Anger
< .5
.5 - .6
.6 - .7
.7 - .8
.8 - .9
> .9
Introduction
Once upon a mountain top, three little trees stood and dreamed of what they wanted to become when they grew up.
The first little tree looked up at the stars and said: “I want to hold treasure.
I want to be covered with gold and filled with precious stones.
I’ll be the most beautiful treasure chest in the world!”
The second little tree looked out at the small stream trickling by on its way to the ocean.
“I want to be traveling mighty waters and carrying powerful kings.
I’ll be the strongest ship in the world!”
The third little tree looked down into the valley below where busy men and women worked in a busy town.
“I don’t want to leave the mountain top at all.
I want to grow so tall that when people stop to look at me, they’ll raise their eyes to heaven and think of God.
I will be the tallest tree in the world.”
Years passed.
The rain came, the sun shone, and the little trees grew tall.
One day three woodcutters climbed the mountain.
The first woodcutter looked at the first tree and said, “This tree is beautiful.
It is perfect for me.”
With a swoop of his shining axe, the first tree fell.
“Now I shall be made into a beautiful chest, I shall hold wonderful treasure!”
The first tree said.
The second woodcutter looked at the second tree and said, “This tree is
strong.
It is perfect for me.”
With a swoop of his shining axe, the second tree fell.
“Now I shall sail mighty waters!” thought the second tree.
“I shall be a strong ship for mighty kings!”
The third tree felt her heart sink when the last woodcutter looked her way.
She stood straight and tall and pointed bravely to heaven.
But the woodcutter never even looked up.
“Any kind of tree will do for me.”
He muttered.
With a swoop of his shining axe, the third tree fell.
The first tree rejoiced when the woodcutter brought her to a carpenter’s shop.
But the carpenter fashioned the tree into a feedbox for animals.
The once beautiful tree was not covered with gold, with treasure.
She was coated with saw dust and filled with hay for hungry farm animals.
The second tree smiled when the woodcutter took her to a shipyard, but no mighty sailing ship was made that day.
Instead the once strong tree was hammered and sawed into a simple fishing boat.
She was too small and too weak to sail to an ocean, or even a river; instead she was taken to a little lake.
The third tree was confused when the woodcutter cut her into strong beams and left her in a lumberyard.
“What happened?” the once tall tree wondered.
“All I ever wanted was to stay on the mountain top and point to God…”
Many, many days and nights passed.
The three trees nearly forgot their dreams.
But one night, golden starlight poured over the first tree as a young woman placed her newborn baby in the feedbox.
“I wish I could make a cradle for him.”
her husband whispered.
The mother squeezed his hand and smiled as the starlight shone on the sturdy wood.
“This manger is beautiful.”
she said.
And suddenly the first tree knew he was holding the greatest treasure in the world.
One evening a tired traveler and his friends crowded into the old fishing boat.
The traveler feel asleep as the second tree quietly sailed out into the lake.
Soon a thundering and thrashing storm arose.
The little tree shuddered.
She knew she did not have the strength to carry so many passengers safely through with the wind and the rain.
The tired man awakened.
He stood up, stretched out his hand, and said, “Peace.”
The storm stopped as quickly as it had begun.
And suddenly the second tree knew he was carrying the king of heaven and earth.
One Friday morning, the third tree was startled when her beams were yanked from the forgotten woodpile.
She flinched as she was carried through an angry jeering crowd.
She shuddered when soldiers nailed a man’s hands to her.
She felt ugly and harsh and cruel.
But on Sunday morning, when the sun rose and the earth trembled with joy beneath her, the third tree knew that God’s love had changed everything.
It had made the third tree strong.
And every time people thought of the third tree, they would think of God.
That was better than being the tallest tree in the world.
Now I recognize that this story isn’t necessarily true.
But in talking about this story with my wife she said something about it that I think captures the heart of Christmas.
She said these trees realize how precious Christ is and that is why each tree felt that it had accomplished its life-long goal.
I believe that what lies at the heart of Christmas is how precious Jesus Christ is.
Jesus is the greatest gift ever given!
Christmas has become a time for Santa Claus and presents.
Though giving presents and getting presents is fun, the true meaning behind Christmas is Christ!
And so this morning we want to talk about Him!
About His birth and what it means to us.
And as we do that I believe we will come to recognize the true meaning, and importance of Christmas.
Let’s look first of all at…
1.
The Prophecy and Fulfillment of the Birth of Christ
When asked what Christmas is all about, those of us who are Christians would be quick to say that it is about the birth of Christ.
Now, we realize that Christmas is not when Jesus was actually born; it is simply the time we have chosen to remember and celebrate His birth.
But to understand the true meaning of Christmas we can’t start with the birth of Christ, because it actually starts many years before that with the OT prophets.
And even before that with the different promises that God made since the Garden of Eden.
Allow me to do some brief background this morning.
To start with, God promised Moses that a prophet like him would be raised up.
It was prophesied that the Messiah would come through Noah’s son Shem, his descendent Abraham, then Isaac, Jacob, Judah, Jesse, and the house of David.
We see these things fulfilled in the genealogy of Christ in .
So in talking about the birth of Christ these are some things that He had to fulfill in order to be the Messiah!
We are going to look now at some very specific prophecies that are fulfilled by Jesus.
First of all…
a.
His birth and identity predicted and confirmed
foretells the Messiah coming and delivering Israel.
Specifically notice verses 6, 7.
Not only does Isaiah tell us that He will be born and given, Isaiah tells us exactly who His is! Let’s read the verses again.
These verses leave no doubt that Isaiah is talking about God in the flesh!
So this one who would be born, who would deliver Israel would be God!
We find out who that one is in…
there is so much that could be said about these verses.
< .5
.5 - .6
.6 - .7
.7 - .8
.8 - .9
> .9