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
0.11UNLIKELY
Disgust
0.11UNLIKELY
Fear
0.08UNLIKELY
Joy
0.59LIKELY
Sadness
0.21UNLIKELY
Language Tone
Analytical
0.66LIKELY
Confident
0UNLIKELY
Tentative
0.35UNLIKELY
Social Tone
Openness
0.68LIKELY
Conscientiousness
0.85LIKELY
Extraversion
0.23UNLIKELY
Agreeableness
0.88LIKELY
Emotional Range
0.79LIKELY
Tone of specific sentences
Tones
Emotion
Language
Social Tendencies
Anger
< .5
.5 - .6
.6 - .7
.7 - .8
.8 - .9
> .9
How are we supposed to give?
The subject of giving is a weakness within the church.
In fact it’s a sore subject among many when they think of the church.
If you were to take a poll of what people like about the church they’d probably say they like:
Our service.
Our love.
The fellowship.
The community.
Right now, we have a large group of people at Lake Hemet sharing in Family Camp together.
These are things that people like.
If you were to ask what people don’t like about the church, somewhere near the top of that list would be giving; would be money.
Sometimes the church is seen as a place that wants your money.
There are some churches like us, that are treading water.
We aren’t over spending.
But we aren’t necessarily saving a ton either.
We receive just what we need.
This means you aren’t going to see anything extravagant.
We aren’t going to be cutting edge.
And that’s okay, the Lord gives us all we need.
Then there are other times, money is all that people hear from the church.
Their view of the church is what they see on TV, and late night public access television, and televangelists.
Men like Jesse Duplantis and Creflo Dollar have put a bad taste in their mouths.
For example, in May, Jesse Duplantis said that God told him he needed to buy a $54 million dollar jet in order to serve his church better.
That would be his 4th jet if you’re keeping count.
In case your wondering how many jets a pastor needs, I’m not exactly sure.
I’m still driving a Prius.
A few years ago, Creflo Dollar said he needed a $65 million dollar jet.
These men put out pleas to their followers to donate to them.
Many wolves masquerade as sheep, taking advantage of the generosity of Christians, saying if you give you’ll be blessed.
There is that passage of the widow who gave her last two coins.
Most of the time, that passage is used to say that you need to give everything that you have, even down to your last penny.
That might sound noble.
That might sound noteworthy.
But that’s really taking advantage of people.
How many kind widows have been given a nice little sum of money from her husband’s pension, only to be fleeced by those who claim to be Christian?
Saying, be like the widow who gave everything she had.
So the widow gives everything she has from her husbands retirement.
She is left penniless, and unable to get the care she needs.
I’ll tell you what, that makes me angry.
And if that was how the church is saying to give … well I’d also have a bad taste in my mouth.
And just so you know, Jesus didn’t approve of that kind of giving either.
In , just after Jesus watched that widow put her final two copper coins into the offering box.
He looked at the Temple.
It was adorned with gems and treasures and opulence.
And he said, “the days will come when there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.”
He said that the day would come when Jerusalem would be conquered, and those in it would be lead astray.
Jesus wasn’t happy with what he was seeing.
And so, if the message of the church is give your final last copper coins, or buy me a jet, and it gets you frustrated; then you’re in good company, because Jesus doesn’t approve of that kind of giving either.
So clearly, there is a wrong way to give.
Just because there’s a wrong way to give -
Just because people are taken advantage of in giving, doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be done at all.
There is a right way to give.
That makes these final passages in Philippians precious.
As we read about Paul and the Philippians, we get to be like a fly on the wall, and see how a church should give.
We get to observe a proper view of how the church gives.
And we get to observe how a pastor is to view giving.
Let’s go ahead and read .
First, let’s look at The Church’s View of Giving.
We give because we are responsible for one another.
You see that in Paul’s language in verse 14.
“Yet it was kind of you to share in my trouble.”
The word for share is to have:
The same fellowship.
Or the same partnership.
And specifically here, to be partners in the same trouble.
Paul says that the Philippians took on his trouble and it became their trouble.
Remember the song, Lean on Me, by Bill Withers?
Lean on me, when you're not strong
And I'll be your friend
I'll help you carry on
To share in someone’s trouble is to take someone else’s burden and put it on yourself.
This shows the the uniqueness of their relationship.
Paul was someone that was very special to the Philippians.
He’s the one that brought the Gospel to them.
There were individuals that were converted because of his preaching.
Lydia.
The Philippian Jailer
Hopefully, the slave girl who had a demon removed..
Paul went there to Philippi - there was no church.
He leaves Philippi - there’s a church.
He leaves Philippi and goes to Thessalonica.
And the Philippian church continued to support him.
But then we fast forward to now, the 4th chapter of Philippians.
Paul’s in jail in Rome.
But his troubles are their troubles.
Lean on me … I’ll help you carry on.
Then the Philippians send Epaphroditus to Rome.
That’s about 700 miles.
700 miles to deliver supplies to Paul.
Why?
Because his troubles, are their troubles.
Lean on me … I’ll help you carry on.
This idea of taking on other’s troubles, it’s not easy.
It’s messy, it means getting your hands dirty.
Friday and Saturday, Amanda and I were at Family Camp with the rest of our church at Lake Hemet.
We are tent camping.
You’re in the dirt.
There’s dust.
It’s everywhere.
You do everything to keep it out of your tent.
< .5
.5 - .6
.6 - .7
.7 - .8
.8 - .9
> .9