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NOT Doing as the Romans Do
Sunday October 13, 2019
Reading:
We are living in a day of sexual liberation.
We’ve actually been liberated sexually for some decades, but what goes on now exceeds any generation before us.
Sex before marriage in my grandparent’s day was a subject you simply did not talk about.
In my parent’s day it was talked about, but behind closed doors.
In my younger days as a teen, it was viewed as a badge of honour.
Today it’s considered passé.
Young people (and not so young people) are regularly “doing it” with the same sex, mixed sex, threesomes, groupies and more.
The sheer number of sexual partners is mind boggling, with kiwis being the worst.
A survey conducted by Durex revealed New Zealand women are the most promiscuous in the world, with an average of 20.3 sexual partners.
Kiwi men are also above average with 16.8 partners[1].
A gynaecologist based in Timaru says he is alarmed at the number of pregnant patients coming to him who can’t remember who they had sex with.
"It is very, very frequent.
I'm not talking about one or two or three or 1000 cases.
I'm talking about thousands and thousands of cases a year [nationally]."
What's more, some are proud of it.
They wear their sexual popularity as a badge of honour.
One young student boasted that she slept with 20 men in orientation week.
Many of these encounters are alcohol-fuelled.
In fact, for some girls, alcohol is required.
"Here is a culture which says if you can remember what happened yesterday you haven't had enough fun[2]."
This brings up another related health issue: the rise of STDs.
New Zealand's syphilis, chlamydia and gonorrhoea rates are rising, concerning health authorities.
There were 548 syphilis cases in the 12 months ending March 2019, with Auckland accounting for nearly half (245).
Syphilis rates increased more than 560 per cent in the past five years — up from 82 cases in 2013.
If left untreated, syphilis can damage the heart, brain or other organs, and can be life-threatening.
In pregnant women, syphilis can cause miscarriage, stillbirth or infant death[3].
And all of this is being assisted by our new “hook-up” culture.
Back in my day a hook-up meant finding a date for the night.
Today it’s finding a partner for sex.
No relationship.
No commitment.
No strings attached.
And with the latest dating apps, it’s just a swipe of your mobile phone away.
These are the waters that our young people are swimming in.
Small wonder that they feel their lives are empty and without meaning.
The relationships they are in (if you could even call them relationships) are empty and without meaning.
But I want to tell you there is a better way.
It’s not a popular way.
Nor is it a particularly easy way.
But it is a way that guarantees long term happiness and fulfilment.
This morning I’m going to show you what that way is.
So if you have a bible, turn with me to the book of 1 Thessalonians chapter 4.
Background
The context we find ourselves in is 1st century Roman Empire.
Paul and his two friends Timothy and Silas arrive in the little city of Thessalonica and begin proclaiming the gospel.
Soon a little church is founded.
Lives are being transformed.
Paul is concerned however because he knows how strong the temptation will be for these new believers to lapse back into their old way of living.
Human desire is strong, the temptations are compelling, and the world they live in is corrupt.
So here in chapter 4 he tackles the issue head on.
As we come to this passage, there are 3 simple questions before us.
Question one is what is God calling us to do? Question two is how are we to do it?
Question three is why should we do it?
What, How, Why.
Let’s start with the what.
1.
What is God calling us to do?
Look at verse 3 with me:
“For this is God’s will, your sanctification: that you keep away from sexual immorality”
God’s will and purpose for you, if you are a Christian here today, is that you be sanctified.
To be sanctified is to be set apart from sin to God.
There is a positional aspect to this, when you first get saved.
God sets you apart in Christ.
But there is also a practical aspect to this as well in that you are progressively – day by day, becoming more like Jesus.
Paul tells us in detail what sanctification looks like; it means abstaining from all sexual sin.
Porneia – that’s the word for immorality.
It means any and every form of sexual practice that lies outside the circle of God’s revealed will.
It includes adultery, homosexuality, premarital and extramarital intercourse, oral sex, group sex, engaging in pornography – you name it, it includes it.
God says, “Don’t do any of it.
Stay away from it.”
Why?
Does God have something against sex?
No, he created sex.
He created it for pleasure and intimacy within the confines of a marriage relationship.
says, “Marriage is to be honoured by all and the marriage bed kept undefiled…” You can't defile a marriage bed.
Two people who are married in bed, that is undefiled, the full expression of sexual pleasure there is by God's design.
It goes on to say however, “But fornicators and adulterers, God will judge.”
The marriage bed, that's where the line is drawn.
Any bed other than a marriage bed, God will judge.
You say, “But I really love this person.”
It doesn’t matter.
“But we are committed to each other.”
If you are not married, it’s wrong.
“But everyone else says it’s OK.”
It doesn’t matter what other people say; what matters is what God says.
God says keep away, hold yourself back from, abstain.
You say, “How far away?”
That’s the typical question young people ask – right?
They ask it all the time.
How far is too far – which really means “How close can I get and still be OK?” It’s OK to hold hands, but what about kissing?
And how long can that kiss go for?
What about touching?
And what can I touch – specifically?
You see, they want to know how close to the edge of the cliff they can get without falling off.
How far can I go before the real – you know, thing happens, and I’m still good?
Well let me tell you, you’re asking the wrong question.
The question is not how close can I get but how far I can stay away?
How can I glorify God with my body, not how can I get turned on without going the whole way?
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