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
0.21UNLIKELY
Disgust
0.11UNLIKELY
Fear
0.12UNLIKELY
Joy
0.57LIKELY
Sadness
0.54LIKELY
Language Tone
Analytical
0.53LIKELY
Confident
0UNLIKELY
Tentative
0.73LIKELY
Social Tone
Openness
0.81LIKELY
Conscientiousness
0.81LIKELY
Extraversion
0.11UNLIKELY
Agreeableness
0.55LIKELY
Emotional Range
0.61LIKELY
Tone of specific sentences
Tones
Emotion
Language
Social Tendencies
Anger
< .5
.5 - .6
.6 - .7
.7 - .8
.8 - .9
> .9
This morning I want to continue with our series - CHALK REVIVAL.
Just curious how many here stopped this week and either drew a circle around themselves with that piece of chalk OR prayed, Lord start a revival in my life - I humble myself and acknowledge I need you???
We spoke of revitalization in our lives, families, community and nation.
We spoke how all revitalization begins with humility.
The next thing in order for REVIVAL to take place in our lives is to address SIN!
OH, Pastor, your not going to talk about sin? It’s summer, I am on vacation from doing what is right - I want to have fun, chill out, recreate ----
SIN!
Not to many preach against it any more, in fact the popular notion is to excuse it away, slather on a plethora of GRACE and allow it to just grow under the surface of our lives.
Reality is, if we want revival this needs to become our prayer:
Lord, I need to repent from sin, secret sins that trip me up, I need to confess sin, offer restitution for some sins and offer forgiveness of sins toward others who have sinned against me.
OK, none of us enjoys having to confront issues in our own lives, and some right now are thinking I have no sin to confront.
(except maybe pride).
Webster’s defines sin as:
…a transgression against God’s law.
The Greek word is HAMARTIA and it means to miss the mark, err, or transgress the law of God, to offend
The Hebrew word for sin is CHATA - it means to offend, incur guilt, go wrong
No one likes to hear talk about sin - being told that we have erred, or offended God, or are guilty
But the reality is, even Christians continue to struggle with sin in their lives -
TO IGNORE SIN IS TO ROB OURSELVES OF VICTORY AND ABUNDANT LIFE IN CHRIST
TO ADDRESS SIN IS TO FIND HEALING, FORGIVENESS, AND PEACE IN CHRIST
Sinful choices lead to destruction and never fulfill our lives, while finding freedom from sin brings newness of life and refreshing!
(Two famous people who had everything committed suicide this week - where did their sinful lifestyles and adventures leave them --- EMPTY!)
I could spend all morning and the next year talking about sinful behaviors we find in the Bible --
The reality is, it is not my job to convict of sin, but the Holy Spirit’s job.
As your Pastor I URGE YOU TO NOT IGNORE THE CONVICTION OF THE HOLY SPIRIT! and STOP JUSTIFYING SINFUL BEHAVIOR IN YOUR LIFE!
What I am going to do before we move on is read some key Scripture about SOME, not ALL, but SOME sinful behaviors...
Eph 5.12
Pride keeps us from confessing sin - we do not want to think of ourselves as guilty or wrong — this is why we need that prayer for humility we talked of last week.
REPENTANCE is NECESSARY as CHRISTIANS...
What does it mean to REPENT
TURN FROM WICKED WAYS!
REPENTANCE is not a mere apology for being caught or doing wrong --- repentance is TURNING TO AN OPPOSITE DIRECTION FROM THE ONE WE WERE TRAVELING...
Remember last week:
“TURN FROM YOUR WICKED WAYS”
IT begins with CONFESSION of SECRET SIN
1. Secret Sin and Confession
Let’s face it - most sin is kept in secret!
However, the American church and society over the last decade has become brazen with flaunting sin and trying to make it “OK”
Still, many in the church are not going to place their sin out there for judgment...
There is a danger of secret sin - or UNCONFESSED SIN
When we struggle with sinful behavior in our lives and do not confess it openly to God and others - we can find that the secret holds us in BONDAGE!
Keeping secrets of any kind tends to e a dangerous and incriminating practice.
A. Let’s look at the secret...
Pslam 90.7-8
Secret Sin exists, it is shameful and it might be secret from people, but it is known to GOD!
Secret sin holds people in shame and guilt which often presses them to discouragement and involvement in greater secret sin ---
The potential shame leaves them in fear of others opinions, judgment, rejection, etc.
Secret sin breaks and destroys relationships and makes offenses grow the longer they are kept
No one wants to lose someone they love, their security or reputation - therefore that secret sin holds us bound to it, and the devil uses it to tempt us and draw us away deeper into that same sin and others.
b.
Confession
TO confess our sins into the open is the first step in healing and forgivness!
All we have to do is confess our sins to Jesus, however, there is power in confessing our sins to another, or bringing that sin out of the secret place.
The Catholics were not all wrong with the confessional - there is something about the power of confession and hearing the words of forgiveness - the error is thinking that only a priest has the power to grant it.
Confession of sin brings accountability to not repeat the same sin, and it releases the bondage that secrecy brings.
Once confessed, the enemy no longer has the power to work CONDEMNATION IN OUR LIVES THROUGH THE SECRET SIN!
2. Restitution of Sin
You may be saying what???
I thought grace releases us from any debt.
Yes, it does, but that does not always release us from every consequence upon this earth.
Crimes may need to be punished, and offenses made right.
Restitution is not about making it right with God, but making it right with others.
If trust has been broken in a marriage there will need to be greater accountability in rebuilding that trust.
If there is something or someplace that led us into sinful behaviors it may mean getting rid of those things and/or not frequenting those places.
Zacheus saw the harm he did to others and repaid back 4 times to restore back what he taken from them.
We may not always be able to pay debts back in this manner, but to seek forgiveness from others and to go those we have sinned against and ask for forgiveness is still part of what God wants us to do.
Restitution is about restoring the natural order
God removes the sin, but consequences remain.
- The responsibility of a child from sexual relations outside of marriage
- Time in prison for crimes
we do reap what we sow ---
Owning up to our failures is a step in overcoming our wrong choices --- the great thing is that when we are repentant and take responsibility - God’s grace and strength HELP US DO THE RIGHT THING!
3. Forgiving Others of Sin
It would be wrong to talk about sin and not talk about the sin of unforgiveness.
Jesus continuously referred to forgiving others in His teaching, His parables and through His own actions.
The entire Bible is a story of forgiveness.
Though sometimes in our shock and pain we struggle with immediate forgiveness - we are unable to ignore forgiveness indefinitely.
Jesus was teaching His disciples even as you have received from me - give to others ---
well - that is forgiveness
matthew 6.12-
To not forgive is to block the channel of our being forgiven --- it withholds the grace of God in our lives — we must address unfogiveness.
Debts stack up against you as you stack others debts against them...
It is a horrible way to live.
That means we have to forgive others who have harmed us.
We may not have them come to us, but that does not mean we cannot start the process of forgiving them.
Forgiveness is not just a word - it is an action.
God’s grace is so powerful, but our inability or unwillingness to forgive will keep us from that grace - He is not stopping the flow - it is our prideful rebellion that raises a wall and keeps it from us.
Conclusion
If we truly want a personal revival, we are going to have to deal with sin in its various forms in our lives.
We need to address SECRET SIN though confession
We will need to make restitution or ask for forgiveness of those we have wronged
We will need to offer forgiveness to those who have wronged us
In so doing - we HUMBLE OURSELVES and make ready a path to revival in our personal lives.
ARE YOU WILLING TO PRAY THIS PRAYER?
LORD - I repent of my sin, secret sin, and bring it out in the open, I want to make things right with those I have sinned against, and forgive those who have sinned against me.
< .5
.5 - .6
.6 - .7
.7 - .8
.8 - .9
> .9