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
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Anger
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INTRODUCTION
HE iS RISEN!
It’s still true
The hope of the resurrection and the power of God within us transforms our lives and our values, our pursuits.
NEW SERIES
Christian trite sayings
Ecclesiastes
Making sense of a complex world...
In the never ending pursuit of fulfillment , we often convince ourselves that life would be better if...
We just had a different job or career
More education
A new spouse
Winning the powerball jackpot
Running off to a new location - just starting it all over again
The book of the Bible we are about to study together for the next 14 weeks addresses the weariness in our souls.
Why is life overwhelming at times?
Why does it all feel so pointless sometimes?
Is there meaning in anything?
Does anything make a difference?
THE POINT OF ECCLESIASTES
“We are stuck in a monotonous prison where nothing we do really changes anything and the only way to live a meaningful life in this meaningless existence is to find satisfaction and contentment in what God has given us.”
Daniel Akin
GROUND HOG DAY
QOHELET
Have you ever seen the movie - Ground Hog Day
Bill Murray is a weatherman who relives the same day over and over again.
Trying to find meaning in his existence that is the same day after day after day.
He seeks knowledge, love, death, pleasure, chaos but the day always restarts the same as the day before.
Teacher/preacher (Qohelet, ko-hell-let)
Personae
In all honesty - how different is our life
2 Voices
What time will you set your alarm for tomorrow
VAPOR
Hit snooze - roll out of bed - shower - brush your teeth
Get in the same car - take the same road - do the same work - go home eat dinner - watch TV or read - and then do it all over again - and again - again.
SEARCH FOR MEANING
Hevel, Vanity, Meaningless, 38 times in the book (הֶבֶל)
הֶבֶל
Extension of
We try to break the spell of drudgery
Application (Johnny Cash, Hurt)
Live for the weekend - the next vacation - romantic relationships - possessions - religion
KEY THEMES
Tragic reality of the fall
TRUE SUBSTANCE
We grasp through the mist trying to find something of substance
Enter - Ecclesiastes
ECCLESIASTES
Enjoy Life
Fear God
Obey Good
Wisdom Literature (Acts was narrative (story), Paul’s letter’s are called Epistles (letters of instruction, discourse), wisdom literature (poetry, wisdom
CONCLUSION
Dense, creative images to help us envision the world differently.
Meant to impact your emotion and imagination
Helps us see things differently.
Not simply say the same thing in the same way over and over again with the desire that somehow we will understand the word’s meaning after the 100th time.
For some this may be a different experience
The words may seem jarring for some
For others - these words may breathe hope - in the knowledge that the Bible also speaks the language of our hearts, including our despair.
Think Deeply
Easy to misunderstand this book
Encourage you to think deeply as we work our way through
Journal
READ ECCLESIASTES 1:1-11
Author: Solomon (maybe) - “son of David, King in Jerusalem...”
We have a fuller picture
Journal
Qohelet - Preacher
Ekklesia - Church
Ecclesiastes - one who gathers the church and speaks
Solomon searched for meaning
Solomon was the wisest man in the ancient world yet wisdom itself did not satisfy - he became greedy, lustful (700 wives, 300 concubines), power hungry, idolatrous fool.
He did not deny himself anything his heart wanted
His Conclusion - Meaningless
Some suppose this is Solomon in old age - reflecting on his life and the lessons he learned along the way, pleading with his son to take a different path.
What does he have to say...
Easy to misunderstand this book
Encourage you to think deeply as we work our way through
Journal
HEVEL
MEANING
Vanity = Hevel
Literally means vapor, breath
It should give you the idea of fleeting, without substance - imagine standing outside on a cold day and you can see your breath - now try to grab it.
“Hevel of Hevels....”"
Think about other phrases similar to this… holy of holies, song of songs
The worship of false gods, idols will often use this same words in the Old Testament (, )
People trying to find joy and satisfaction in anything other than Gos himself - grasping at fog
Throughout Ecclesiastes we will examine the various things that we seek - hoping to find happiness - longing for satisfaction - praying for meaning in our mundane lives
One by one they will be exposed as lacking substance
Avengers | Infinity War - things we love turning to dust
Some of this will be painful and God works in our hearts to expose lesser desires in our hearts - rather than dust - I want you to imagine them turning into a mist, a vapor - vanity, all is vanity.
The word, Hevel, is found 38 times in Ecclesiastes
Why would God allow this?
This all seems a little depressing doesn’t it?
“For the creation itself was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it...”
The word futility is the word found here in Ecclesiastes
Creation was perfect, but...
FUTILITY FOLLOWS THE FALL
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