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
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Disgust
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Fear
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Joy
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Sadness
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Language Tone
Analytical
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Confident
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Tentative
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Social Tone
Openness
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Conscientiousness
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Extraversion
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Agreeableness
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Emotional Range
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Tone of specific sentences
Tones
Emotion
Language
Social Tendencies
Anger
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Story
Recently my kids were arguing about how to play a game that they had made up.
This game was one of those imaginary family or house games where you have a mom or dad and kids and a baby.
Well, my son, Bennet, who’s the oldest wanted to be a character, but my oldest daughter, Caroline, wanted to be the same character that Bennett wanted to be.
Kate, who’s the third wanted to be a totally different person, that didn’t even make sense in the game.
So they are arguing.
At the same time Claire, next in line, is interacting with Amy, my wife, and I and then she would run to “play” with the kids.
But her version of play was more interrupting, which is setting the kids off even more.
All the while, our soon to be one year old is sleeping in the room upstairs.
That doesn’t mean that we were super-humans then and today we’ve gone astray.
No! Today we have the same sinfulness inside each one of us that we did years ago.
Pride is defined as: an attitude of regarding oneself with favor.
A person looks at themselves as more elevated that others around them.
Maybe thinking back in time it seems like it was yesterday, but sin was still there then like it is still today.
Don’t we all fall into that trap at times?
an attitude of regarding oneself with favor
Many times when we think back in time we often erase the struggles and remember the joys.
Maybe in looking back we erase the struggles and hold on to the memories of joy?
Many days when I get home from being gone all day, my wife asks me, “How was your day?”
I respond to her and tell her some details and then go and interact with the kids or continue to talk about myself.
It’s not until I leave the conversation that I realize that I didn’t ask her how her day was!
Maybe you have a small level of pride inside you.
What is the right level of pride that a person should have?
Is there something else that should replace it?
Today we are going to spend some time on Paul’s letter to the church of Philippi.
It’s the book of Philippians.
But, just like today, back in time we still experienced disunity, separation and differences.
Your journey to Christ may have been in some of those broken experiences of separation or differences.
Today we are going to spend some time on Paul’s letter to the church of Philippi.
It’s the book of Philippians.
Philippians was a great city in Paul’s lifetime.
Paul lived when Jesus lived, only he was radically against Jesus, until his transformational experience one day on the way to Damascus.
He was transformed so radically that he began preaching the good news of Jesus.
The city of Philippi was known as a great commercial city.
Gold and silver mines were near the city, which had brought Philippi to rise in popularity.
It was founded by Philip, father of Alexander the Great, in 386 BC.
It was the gateway from Asia to Europe.
A person had to travel through Philippi on their way from the coast at Neopolis to Europe.
One of the greatest battles was fought at Philippi.
Antony defeated Brutus and Cassius, and thereby decided the future of the Roman Empire.
Philippi became a Roman colony, which involved about 300 veteran soldiers and their families to build the colony and military presence.
William Barclay says, in his commentary on Philippians:
Antony defeated Brutus and Cassius, and thereby decided the future of the Roman Empire
Just as the Roman colonists never forgot in any environment that they were Romans, so the Philippians must never forget in any society that they were Christians.
Nowhere were people prouder of being Roman citizens than in these colonies; and Philippi was one such colony.
Just as the Roman colonists never forgot in any environment that they were Romans, so the Philippians must never forget in any society that they were Christians.
Nowhere were people prouder of being Roman citizens than in these colonies; and Philippi was one such colony.
That brings us to what we will be looking at today: the struggle between pride and humility.
William Barclay, The Letters to Philippians, Colossians, and Thessalonians, 3rd ed.
fully rev.
and updated.,
The New Daily Study Bible (Louisville, KY; London: Westminster John Knox Press, 2003), 4.
Bottom Line
Paul’s 4 Declarations
Encouragement
Consider others as more important than yourselves.
Comfort in Love
Fellowship
Tenderness and Compassion
These declarations are not stated as a hypothesis would be stated.
If, then…
These are declarations that have been placed on the people of Philippi because of the characteristics of a follower of Jesus Christ.
Take a look at how the Message translation puts this verse.
Paul is not questioning the people in Philippi if they have these attributes and emotions.
He is stating these so that when a person received his words they will indeed agree that they in fact do have these attributes.
Paul’s 4 Declarations
Encouragement
Comfort in Love
Fellowship
Tenderness and Compassion
Has there ever been a time when someone came to you and told you that you excelled at a skill?
Maybe you were in fact struggling tp make a decision based on that skill.
When I was in college I felt God leading me to go into the pastoral ministry.
I had a choice to major in youth ministry or general pastoral ministry.
I wrestled with it for a bit and decided to focus on general pastoral ministry as opposed to a specific focus.
Not long after that I was wrestling with beginning my ministry experience after college in youth ministry.
It’s really the only ministry I had experience in while in high school and some in college.
It was the confirmation of a few people that helped me see God’s leading to go in that direction.
I graduated from Liberty University in 2006 and then in 2010 I broadened my ministry experience to children also.
How has Christ made a difference in your life?
How have you seen the elements of His love, Spirit and compassion transform your outlook or situation?
Maybe you’ve had compassion on someone, maybe you didn’t lose your temper, maybe your life perspective has changed because you are focusing more on Jesus than you were before.
As we think back to how Jesus transformed our lives we sometimes forget how we are still sinners that have been saved by a perfect Savior.
We still mess up and we still make mistakes.
Have you had any disagreements with people recently?
Maybe you didn’t see eye to eye on how to complete a project, or your opinion on an issue was different from the other persons opinion.
What did you do?
Paul sees that the church in Philippi has lots of disagreements and at times, they don’t see things the same way.
that is where Paul is coming from when he writes this first sentence...
Warren Wiersbe, a biblical scholar, says this:
“Your disagreements reveal that there is a spiritual problem in your fellowship.
It isn’t going to be solved by rules or threats; it’s going to be solved when your hearts are right with Christ and with each other.”
Paul wanted them to see that the basic cause was selfishness, and the cause of selfishness is pride.
There can be no joy in the life of the Christian who puts himself above others.”
Paul sees that the church in Philippi has lots of disagreements and at times, they don’t see things the same way.
that is where Paul is coming from when he writes this first sentence...
Since you have been transformed by Christ, through his love, relationship with the Holy Spirit and your heart has grown towards what He desires… fulfill my joy...
“Fulfill my joy...”
In reading the book of Philippians it communicates the attitude of Joy that Paul has for these people.
He starts the letter by stating, “I give thanks to my God for every remembrance of you, always praying with joy for all of you in my every prayer”
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