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Galatians 2:1-10
"Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, I'm free at last!"
These wellknown words were spoken by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., at the end of his address at the 1963 March on Washington for Civil Rights.
Dr. King's words conveyed something besides the joy of freedom; they also hinted at its long and hard struggle.
The words were actually spoken a full century after liberty was first proclaimed for black Americans.
Free at last! Finally, after centuries of bondage and enslavement.
At last, after another long century of prejudice and injustice.
Our experience with slavery in America teaches that proclaiming emancipation and possessing liberty can be two very different things.
Freedom isn't easily gained, and once gained, it can easily be lost.
I.
The Enemies of Freedom.
Freedom has as many joys and struggles in the spiritual realm as it does in the temporal.
Dr. King knew this because he borrowed his famous words from an old Negro spiritual.
The meaning of the song was originally about freedom from sin through Jesus Christ.
A. Freedom in Christ was Paul's concern when he wrote Galatians.
He knew how precious spiritual freedom is.
He knew the price that Jesus paid on the cross to gain it.
He also knew how easy it is to squander that freedom and return to spiritual bondage.
B. The Galatians had gained true spiritual freedom by putting their faith in Christ crucified and Christ risen.
1.
But now, they were listening to teachers who wanted to add the law of Moses to the gospel of Christ.
2. As a result, they were in danger of becoming enslaved all over again.
C. Paul's opponents were conducting covert operations in the church.
They had snuck into the church to see what the Gentile Christians were up to.
1.
But they were more than informants; they were slave-traders.
They were conspiring to hold the church hostage to the law.
2. These men are sometimes called "the Judaizers" because they confused Judaism with Christianity.
3.
They taught that Gentiles had to become Jews in order to become Christians.
4. Since they opposed Paul's law-free gospel, they could be called "the Torah police."
5.
But Paul knew them for what they were: "false brothers" () - "brothers" because they claimed to be Christians, but "false" because they didn't follow Christ after all.
D. Whatever you want to call these men, they were enemies of freedom, which is why Paul took such a strong stand against them: [].
Paul was a fighter for freedom.
He knew that people who want to keep their freedom in Christ have to fight for it.
1.
Notice that the gospel he was fighting for is not a truth; it is the truth.
2. It is the truth Jesus had in mind when He said, "You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free ().
3.
There is only one Christ, one truth, and one gospel.
The price of spiritual freedom is constant vigilance.
It is not enough to share the gospel, or even to preach it.
The gospel has to be defended.
E. It isn't an easy thing to defend the truth in an age of lies.
These days, people want to make up their own good news.
They don't want to hear that there is only one way of salvation.
They will only put up with Christianity as long as it minds its own business.
1. So, the church is under enormous pressure to compromise her message.
But, we cannot compromise!
Freedom is found only in Christ!
2. Salvation only comes by His death and resurrection.
We cannot let anyone add or subtract anything to or from His death and resurrection.
3.
With the great reformer, Martin Luther, we say that "we can stand the loss of our possessions, our name, our life, and everything else; but we will not let ourselves be deprived of the gospel, our faith, and Jesus Christ.
And that is that."
II.
Titus: A Test Case.
In verse 1, Paul mentions he brought Titus with him to Jerusalem.
Titus was a Gentile convert, and one of Paul's co-workers.
Eventually, he became a prominent leader in the early church, serving as pastor of the church in Crete.
A. Taking Titus to Jerusalem was a daring move.
Because he was a Gentile instead of a Jew, Titus was uncircumcised.
If there was anything that would enrage the Judaizers, it would be to bring an uncircumcised man into their holy city!
1. Circumcision meant everything to the Jews.
It was the sacred mark of Jewish identity, the symbol of salvation.
2. Since the days of Abraham, circumcision had been the visible sign of belonging to God's people.
3. According to the command of God, circumcision determined whether someone was inside or outside the covenant.
B. In the past, if a Gentile decided to become a Jew, he had to be circumcised.
This was what the law required.
1.
Then, Paul came along with his law-free gospel, preaching the good news of the cross and the empty tomb.
2. Paul claimed that Jesus Christ had already met the requirements of the law, and circumcision no longer matters.
3.
All it took to belong to God was faith in Jesus Christ.
Titus served as the perfect test case for the freedom of Paul's gospel.
Here was a man who had received Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior.
Did he, or did he not, also have to meet the requirements of the law, epitomized by circumcision?
C. The answer the apostles gave was that Titus didn't have to be circumcised to be saved.
The good news is not salvation by faith in Christ plus circumcision; the good news is salvation by faith in Christ alone.
D. Circumcision is no big controversy in the church today, but the deeper issue here is still relevant.
1. Circumcision represented law-keeping in general.
So, Paul was fighting for something fundamental to Christianity at all times and in all places:
a.
What does it take to become a member of God's family?
b.
Is it simply a matter of faith in Christ, or is there something else, too?
2. The answer is that every Christian is saved exactly the same way: by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone.
E. Christians have different gifts, of course.
We have different backgrounds.
We have different cultures, in some cases.
We have different ministries and callings, which gives us order in the church.
We have different trials and temptations.
1.
But there is no difference in our standing before God.
2. If there is no difference in our standing before God, there should be no differences in our standing with one another.
III.
Mission to the Gentiles.
A. What God had done in Paul's life was different from what He had done in Peter's life, and Paul knew that.
1.
He was not one of the original 12 disciples.
But, because they were companions of Christ during His earthly ministry, that did not make the 12 have some higher authority.
2. Paul had respect for the other apostles, but he was not intimidated by them.
He didn't make a fuss over their credentials because he knew that God shows no favoritism (v. 6).
B. The other apostles didn't have to give official approval to Paul; they simply acknowledged that he already had God's approval because he was an apostle in his own right.
1.
The other apostles also didn't add anything to Paul's message.
They did not try to amend, edit, change, or otherwise alter his message.
2. They added nothing to it.
They removed nothing from it.
They changed nothing about it.
They simply accepted it as it was.
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