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
0.47UNLIKELY
Joy
0.57LIKELY
Sadness
0.17UNLIKELY
Language Tone
Analytical
0.79LIKELY
Confident
0UNLIKELY
Tentative
0.27UNLIKELY
Social Tone
Openness
0.96LIKELY
Conscientiousness
0.67LIKELY
Extraversion
0.23UNLIKELY
Agreeableness
0.63LIKELY
Emotional Range
0.7LIKELY
Tone of specific sentences
Tones
Emotion
Language
Social Tendencies
Anger
< .5
.5 - .6
.6 - .7
.7 - .8
.8 - .9
> .9
Series: A Meaning-Full Marriage
Title: The Joy of a Christ-Centered Covenant - Part ii
Text:
Review:
Starting Points:
(1) Marriage is the institution created by God -
(2) God's created intention is confirmed by Jesus Christ -
(3) The gospel of Christ allows us to understand marriage - ,
Principle: Marriage is the earthly, temporal covenant which illustrates the greater, eternal covenant.
So, what is God like when He is in covenant with His people?
What should we be like when we are in covenant with each other?
Proposition: Be merciful within your covenant of marriage.
Proposition: Be merciful within your covenant of marriage.
See God's mercy in Hosea as:
(1) Initiatory (week one)
(2) Intentional (tonight)
(3) Inclusive (next week)
Does mercy mean that we overlook sin?
Parable of Snake and Mouse
A man purchased a white mouse to use as food for his pet snake.
He dropped the unsuspecting mouse into the snake’s glass cage, where the snake was sleeping in a bed of sawdust.
The tiny mouse had a serious problem on his hands.
At any moment he could be swallowed alive.
Obviously, the mouse needed to come up with a brilliant plan.
What did the terrified creature do?
He quickly set up work covering the snake with sawdust chips until it was completely buried.
With that, the mouse apparently thought he had solved his problem.
The solution, however, came from outside.
The man took pity on the silly little mouse and removed him from the cage.
No matter how hard we try to cover or deny our sinful nature, it’s fool’s work.
Sin will eventually awake from sleep and shake off its cover.
Were it not for the saving grace of the Master’s hand, sin would eat us alive.
Source unknown
Points for tonight:
(1) God's mercy is an attribute that helps to describe God. -
God’s mercy means God’s goodness toward those in misery and distress.
Comprehensively defining mercy is important:
(a) An oversimplified definition of mercy is that “God’s mercy is withholding punishment from those who deserve it.”
(b) A better understanding of mercy is “an inner tender pity (bowels) that results in outward acts of compassion” - (example of Joseph in )
(2) God is merciful, but there are times where He withholds acts of mercy - ,
Good for the Sufferer and Spectators
Pain is not good in itself.
What is good in any painful experience is, for the sufferer, his submission to the will of God, and, for the spectators, the compassion aroused and the acts of mercy to which it leads.
C. S. Lewis, The Problem of Pain
When the merciful God intentionally withholds activities of mercy, there is always intention.
Why would a merciful God choose to intentionally withhold actions of mercy?
(a) The merciful God intentionally withholds actions of mercy in response to sin ()
(b) The merciful God intentionally withhold actions of mercy with intention of repentance (of the offender) and restoration to covenant faithfulness ()
How can God still be known as merciful, if he chooses to withhold actions of mercy to those in sin?
(3) God is merciful by withholding actions of mercy to people who are in sin.
(a) God understands the deceptiveness of sin () - Sin leads us to believe that we will be satisfied by its’ provision.
(b) God understands the self-destructiveness of sin (),
Is God therefore merciful to leave his creatures in a perpetual state of self-deception and self-destruction?
Or is God more merciful to withdraw merciful activity so the consequences of sin would be so evident that it would lead to the repentance and restoration of a relationship?
Summary:
God is merciful.
There are times when we see that God withheld his merciful activity.
This does not mean that God overlooked sin.
Even this intentional withholding of mercy is a merciful act by the merciful God.
God did so to provoke his people to return to Himself.
What then does this help us to realize within marriage?
The kind of mercy that God has displayed is one that is intentional, especially as it relates to sin.
It is therefore imperative that we, as husbands and wives, be committed to a mercy that wars against sin in our marriages.
Intentional Foul - a foul deliberately committed by a defensive player to stop play, tactically conceding the penalty of having the fouled player attempt the awarded foul shots in return for possession of the ball.
Principally, speaking to the husbands: You must be intentionally committed to the ongoing sanctification of your spouse.
(1) Intentionally seeking the spiritual maturity of your spouse is not optional ()
Two extreme concerns: lording husband & the passive husband
Husbands, are we pursuing her conformity to Christ by lording it over her or by dying for her? - Piper, John.
This Momentary Marriage .
Crossway.
Kindle Edition.
Two extreme concerns: irreverent wife & nagging wife
Piper, John.
This Momentary Marriage .
Crossway.
Kindle Edition.
(2) Intentionally seeking the spiritual maturity of your spouse has a clear means ()
Sacrificial love: To the husband, you give yourself for the application of the gospel to your wife.
Submissive reverence: To the wife, you give yourself for the application of the gospel to your husband.
-
(3) Intentionally seeking the spiritual maturity o f the spouse has a clear end ()
What then is the intention?
The aim of the godly husband’s desire for change in his wife is conformity to Christ, not conformity to himself.
Notice the key words in verses 26–27.
Verse 26: “that he [Christ] might sanctify her.” Verse 27: “that he [Christ] might present the church to himself in splendor.”
Verse 27 again: “that she might be holy.”
These words—sanctify, splendor, holy—imply that our desires for our wives are measured by God’s standard of holiness, not our standard of personal preferences - Piper, John.
This Momentary Marriage .
Crossway.
Kindle Edition.
Piper, John.
This Momentary Marriage .
Crossway.
Kindle Edition.
How is showing intentional mercy made possible in our lives?
(1) Showing intentional mercy begins with the mercy you’ve received.
Husbands & Wives, there must be a transparency about the mercy you’ve received -
Begin each day with the gospel mercy that you have received.
Be clear on what this mercy means and what it does not mean.
If not received, you must receive it.
(i) This is an initiating mercy
< .5
.5 - .6
.6 - .7
.7 - .8
.8 - .9
> .9