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
0.17UNLIKELY
Disgust
0.14UNLIKELY
Fear
0.08UNLIKELY
Joy
0.61LIKELY
Sadness
0.5UNLIKELY
Language Tone
Analytical
0.53LIKELY
Confident
0UNLIKELY
Tentative
0.56LIKELY
Social Tone
Openness
0.82LIKELY
Conscientiousness
0.8LIKELY
Extraversion
0.29UNLIKELY
Agreeableness
0.81LIKELY
Emotional Range
0.75LIKELY
Tone of specific sentences
Tones
Emotion
Language
Social Tendencies
Anger
< .5
.5 - .6
.6 - .7
.7 - .8
.8 - .9
> .9
INTRODUCTION
“What then shall we do?”
This is an important question, and we see people ask it several times in Luke’s writings.
This is an important question, and we see people ask it several times in Luke’s writings.
It was asked three times in this passage by three different groups.
In , it was put to Jesus by an expert in Jewish religious law, who asked, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” ().
In , the crowds asked, “Brothers, what shall we do?,” after they heard Peter and the other Apostles preach on the day of Pentecost.
And in the Apostle Paul said that he asked this question when Jesus appeared to him on the road to Damascus.
Blinded by the glory of Jesus, humbled by his power, and responding to Jesus’ words, Paul asked, “What shall I do, Lord?”
[INTER] The question we should ask ourselves this morning as we are confronted with the Word of God is, “What shall we do?”
[ILLUS] Now, sometimes we are confronted with something, and we aren’t sure what to do about it.
And sometimes what we are to do about that something doesn’t seem to make any sense.
For example, children who refuse to the eat food so lovingly prepared by their parents might hear, “Well, there are children starving in Africa!”
The child at the table might be wondering what he is supposed to do about the children starving in Africa.
Perhaps he will be brave enough to ask what he is to do about the children starving in Africa, and his mother may respond, “You need to eat the food I made for you!”
Perhaps he is brave enough to ask what he is to do about the children starving in Africa, and his mother may respond, “You need to eat the food I made for you!”
Then the child wonders (silently if he is smart) how his eating the food on his plate helps the children in Africa who have no food on their plates.
That’s how John’s listeners felt when he confronted them with the Word of God.
He told them to bear fruits in keeping with repentance, but they weren’t sure what to do.
And perhaps what he told them to do didn’t make sense to them or perhaps it doesn’t make sense to us.
But as we’ll see, John’s answer was both clear and cogent.
[CONTEXT] The Word of God came to John in the wilderness and he prepared the way for the coming Messiah by proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.
For example, a child sit at the dinner table and refuses to eat the food prepared so lovingly by his or her mother.
Those convicted of sin and committed to repentance where baptized by John as a testimony of the work of God in their hearts.
John, however, turned some people away.
When the religious leaders and their followers came to be baptized by John, he knew that their hearts had not been changed.
He knew that they still loved sin and self, so he told them to repent and bear fruit in keeping with repentance or suffer the wrath of God.
After telling the child to eat 100 times, the mother gets frustrated and asks, “Don’t you know that their are children starving in Africa?”
John said, “Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees.
Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire,” ().
And those listening asked the question, “What shall we do?”
In other words, “If we are to bear fruit in keeping with repentance, what should that fruit look like?”
Now,
[CIT] John told his audience that a person who was truly repentant before God would show it in the way he handled possessions in relation to people.
[PROP] How we handle possessions in relation to people reveals the true condition of our hearts before God.
loving people in relation to possessions.
[TS] We see this in the three ANSWERS John gave to the three different groups that asked him that question three times, “What shall we do?”
The first ANSWER is in vv.
10-11...
MAJOR IDEAS
Answer #1: John said, “Share,” (vv.
10-11).
[Exp/App] The tunic was a long garment worn under the cloak next to the skin.
Typically a person would only were one tunic although two provided extra warmth.
When Jesus sent out the Apostles to minister in , he told them to take nothing for their journey except a staff - no bread, no bag, no money in their belts - but to wear sandals and “not put on two tunics,” ().
Since the Messiah had come and they were his messengers, they were to travel light and trust God as they fulfilled their ministry.
John the Baptist’s teaching regarding tunics and food in is much the same.
Since the axe is laid to the root and the judgment of God is at hand, it is not time to store up extra tunics and extra food, but to store up treasure in heaven by sharing with those in need.
Thinking about this truth, I was reminded of Jesus’ parable of the rich fool in .
It was the one prompted by someone in the crowd saying to Jesus, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me,” ().
But Jesus responded, “…one’s life does not consist in the abundance of possessions,” (), and then he told them this parable...
[] The land of a rich man produced plentifully, and he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do (and doesn’t that question sound familiar!?), for I have nowhere to store my crops?’
And he said, ‘I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods.
And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.”
’ But God said to him, ‘Fool!
This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’
So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.”
The point of the parable (as with many parables) is in the last line: “...the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’
So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God,” ().
Now, that should prompt us to ask, “How do I get rich toward God?” Well, listen
Now, that should prompt us to ask, “How do I get rich toward God?” Well, listen to what Jesus said after that parable...
Now, that should prompt us to ask, “How do I get rich toward God?”
[; ; ] Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body, what you will put on.
For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing.
… Instead, seek his kingdom, and these things will be added to you.
… Sell your possessions, and give to the needy.
Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys.
For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
The Holy Bible: English Standard Version.
(2016).
().
Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.
And that line spoken by Jesus in Luke 12:34 - “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” - is the genius of John the Baptist in .
The Holy Bible: English Standard Version.
(2016).
().
Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.
John knew what Jesus knew; that what people do with things like tunics and food reveals the owner of their hearts.
A heart that belongs to God will share with those in need, store up treasure in heaven, and become rich toward God!
A heart owned by stuff will build bigger barns here on earth but leave it all behind at death and walk into eternity impoverished of soul.
One leads
The Holy Bible: English Standard Version.
(2016).
().
Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.
The Holy Bible: English Standard Version.
(2016).
().
Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.
The Holy Bible: English Standard Version.
(2016).
().
Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.
What about us?
Who or what owns our hearts?
Are we willing to bear the fruit of sharing with those in need?
[Illus/App] It’s not easy for us to share.
It literally goes against our sin nature.
Sin wants to take rather than give.
It prefers to stinginess to generosity, and we see it early in life.
I live with the sweetest and most beautiful almost 2-year-old the world has ever known.
(And that’s not a biased opinion either because Cheryl also lives with precious little Madelyn and has confirmed my evaluation.)
But Madelyn has a habit and that habit is “have it.”
Anytime her brother or sister have something that she wants, she walks up, lays her hands on it, and says, “Hab it!,”
which is supposed to be “Have it!”
but its the best she can say it right now.
We try to tell her no and sometimes she listens and sometimes she still wants to hab it.
But that “Have-it Habit” is something that some people never grow out of.
And it’s not just the people we consider rich, it’s nearly everyone (including us) in this consumer-driven materialistic culture that we live in!
It seems like nearly everyone is just buying stuff so that later they’ll have stuff to put in their yard sales!
“There’s no need for that,” Ford replied, and promptly wrote a check for the additional eighteen thousand pounds.
But rather than feed into the have-it habit, we should be bearing fruit by sharing with those in need.
< .5
.5 - .6
.6 - .7
.7 - .8
.8 - .9
> .9