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
0.55LIKELY
Fear
0.13UNLIKELY
Joy
0.59LIKELY
Sadness
0.53LIKELY
Language Tone
Analytical
0.58LIKELY
Confident
0UNLIKELY
Tentative
0.62LIKELY
Social Tone
Openness
0.75LIKELY
Conscientiousness
0.55LIKELY
Extraversion
0.16UNLIKELY
Agreeableness
0.76LIKELY
Emotional Range
0.56LIKELY
Tone of specific sentences
Tones
Emotion
Language
Social Tendencies
Anger
< .5
.5 - .6
.6 - .7
.7 - .8
.8 - .9
> .9
Scripture(s)
(NLT) 6 And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.
(NLT) 7 But God also RESCUED Lot out of Sodom because he was a RIGHTEOUS man who was sick of the shameful immorality of the wicked people around him.
8 Yes, Lot was a righteous man who was tormented in his soul by the wickedness he saw and heard day after day.
(NKJV) 4 For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope.
(NKJV) 16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,
Explanation
Paul was well aware that we have a spiritual enemy that is masterful at keeping us from accomplishing our goals.
The enemy isn’t as much concerned about you getting first downs as long as he keeps you from scoring.
The enemy isn’t as concerned about your gains as long as he stops your goals.
Today I want to look at the life of Lot and learn from his highs and lows to ensure we establish the proper strategy so that we reach our goals.
Illustration
I absolutely love stick shifts.
I think there is nothing more manly then changing gears.
I think the thing I love most is having direct control of the power.
I still vividly remember wanting to pass this incredible skill to my wife.
After explaining everything to her, we drove around the parking lot and she did great.
We decided to take it to the road.
We set the destination and we were off.
What occurred to me is I didn't do a good job at telling her how to engage the clutch on stops she had a hard time learning how to engage the clutch.
She kept stalling out.
The instrument panel went into high alert.
So all signs pointed to the cars truck, hood, doors are all open.
Battery is dead and I need an oil change.
Life looks like this sometimes.
The instrument panel of life is screaming at us and telling us to get out.
Transition
To stall means to come to a stand still.
To be rendered immobile.
To lose momentum.
This looks a lot like us, missing our transitions, not engaging the clutch and stalling out.
Lot’s name means covering or veiled.
I believe we all have a calling on our life that the enemy wants to keep veiled.
Let’s look at his journey.
Observations/Thoughts
Don't Settle for what you feel (Familiar)
Lot had an unfortunate set back early in his life.
We aren’t told of the exact circumstance but we learn that he lost his father, Haran, while he was still young.
He was then raised by his grandfather, Terah and his uncle, Abram.
Terah was compelled to lead his family from Ur to Cannan but they made a pit stop in an area called Haran.
Notice that the name of the neighborhood is the exact same name as their deceased loved one.
I can imagine after journeying for sometime when they arrived at this quaint town they were surprised, even excited to learn it shared the same name their fallen relative.
They must have thought it was a sign of some sort.
Perhaps this is the location they were supposed to stay as a way to honor Haran.
So even though they set their GPS coordinates to go to Cannan, they settled in Haran.
They settled!
They settled for the familiar.
Pit stops can be a pit fall when we lose perspective.
What do you do when you are trying to move forward only to be tempted by the past?
They settled in mediocrity even though God was calling them to something better.
I wander if there are times when we forfeit the greater for the familiar?
Familiar relationships.
Familiar friends.
Familiar jobs.
I am the first to admit I am a creature of habit.
Once I lock in on something that I like, I pretty much stick with it.
When I go out to eat is a perfect example.
My struggle is, while I want to explore new things, I am often too hungry to experiment and be disappointed.
So, I generally get the same things.
I went out to eat with my wife and she convinced me to taste what she had.
I reluctantly agreed and was blown away at how much better her meal was than mine.
Naturally, I couldn’t tell her this but my taste buds were breakdancing.
My comfort allowed me to miss something better.
The bible says taste and see that The Lord is good, but I wonder if we look at the menu of grace and settle for appetizers when God has full course blessings for us.
There are moments when we are distracted by the ghosts of the past.
Familiarity creates comfort, but I’ve never seen comfortable people do big things for God.
Don’t let the memories of what was cause you to lose sight of what will be.
The thing we have to remember about ghosts are…there’s a presence but there’s no substance.
Complacency is the enemy of ambition.
Some of us are being haunted by the ghost of what was and miss what will be.
The enemy of being great is being good.
(NLT) One day Terah took his son Abram, his daughter-in-law Sarai (his son Abram’s wife), and his grandson Lot (his son Haran’s child) and moved away from Ur of the Chaldeans.
He was headed for the land of Canaan, but they stopped at Haran and settled there.
(NKJV) “The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it?
Lot had the example modeled to him that it’s ok to settle.
It wasn’t long before Lot had another setback.
He saw his grandfather die.
He’s lost his father, settled for the familiar in leu of the promise, then lost his grandfather.
Now Lot has been passed on to his uncle.
Abram leaves the familiar in pursuit of the promise and actually arrives there BUT when a famine hit Abram went to Egypt.
It didn’t work out for them there.
You may find that you are unsettled where you currently are, that may be God telling you to not get comfortable; this isn’t where I’ve called you to be.
Abram and his family did accumulate a great deal of wealth while they were there.
Here’s what you need to see, when the promise doesn’t look promising we look for relief in the world.
Unknowingly Abram modeled for Lot how to compromise.
When you allow compromise to enter the bloodstream of your faith, it dilutes your walk with God and corrupts your spiritual immune system.
This causes you to be vulnerable to the germs of doubt, fear, condemnation, the past.
He made the promise common.
Terah lived 205 years and died in Haran.
He took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, all the possessions they had accumulated, and the people he had acquired in Haran, and they set out for the land of Canaan.
When they came to the land of Canaan,
There was a famine in the land, so Abram went down to Egypt to live there for a while because the famine in the land was severe.
Don't Settle for What You See (Baggage)
After returning to the promised land, we now see conflict arise.
Turns out the wealth that Abram and Lot accumulated was now too extensive for both of them to continue to live together.
What once was sufficient was now incapable of sustaining them.
It was the overflow of what they brought with them from Egypt.
The baggage we bring from Egypt will crowd out the promise.
The baggage we bring from the world will rob us of unity and peace.
What are the compromising items that you’re carrying that’s keeping you from experiencing peace?
< .5
.5 - .6
.6 - .7
.7 - .8
.8 - .9
> .9