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
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Anger
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Introduction:
I can see it now...
The dark middle eastern night.
The bleating of sheep nearby - the snoring of a shepherd who had put in a hard day’s work and had set still a bit too long.
The fire flickering casting shadows on the hills surrounding the shepherds on that Bethlehem night so many years ago.
When in the midst of the uneventful and ordinary night - a bright light appears, a being in shining white declares in a heavenly and booming voice, “Behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
“ ().
As the shepherds pinch themselves to make sure they’re awake and then scrambled into town to see the child, I want us to stop and think about these tidings.
What did they contain?
what do they say?
What do they mean?
These tidings were the fulfillment of some promises.
- Our next few Sunday morning times together I would like to talk about these promises.
I can see it now...
The Promise of light.
The Promise of Joy
The Promise of A Son
The dark middle eastern night.
The first of these promises found in our passage.
The promise of light.
The bleating of sheep nearby -
the snoring of a shepherd who had put in a hard day’s work and had set still a bit too long.
The fire flickering casting shadows on the hills surrounding the shepherds on that Bethlehem night so many years ago.
The Promise of Light ()
When in the middle of the uneventful and ordinary night - a bright light appears, a being in shining white declares in a heavenly and booming voice, “Behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
“ ().
As the shepherds pinch themselves to make sure they’re awake and then scrambled into town to see the child, I want us to stop and think about these tidings.
What did they contain?
what do they say?
What do they mean?
These tidings were the fulfillment of some promises.
- Our next few Sunday morning times together I would like to talk about these promises.
The Promise of light.
The Promise of Joy.
The Promise of A Son.
The first of these promises found in our passage.
The promise of light.
The Promise of Light (Isaiah 8:19-9:2)
The Darkness -
The songwriter Philip Bliss penned the words, “The whole world was lost in the darkness of sin.”
This is a pretty close idea of what the Prophet Isaiah is telling us about in our passage.
The Darkness -
The Darkness is real
I want us to get an idea of the darkness - the real darkness that permeated the time of this writing.
In we find King Ahaz - who in belligerence and pride chose his won way - he refuses the challenge to trust God and receive the sign of His promise.
His refusal to trust God drove him to trust Assyria instead of the Lord.
because of this misplaced trust, God says through Isaiah that Judgement was coming.
God was going to use Assyria to bring judgment.
- They don’t speak God’s Word because there is no light in them
- Behold - trouble and darkness
that sounds bad but he doesn’t stop there it gets worse
The songwriter Philip Bliss penned the words, “The whole world was lost in the darkness of sin.”
This is a pretty close idea of what the Prophet Isaiah is telling us about in our passage.
The Darkness Deepens
dimness of anguish - and then— “they shall be driven to darkness.”
If we refuse to obey God’s revelation we like Ahaz and his people will end up in darkness.
The Darkness is real
declares, “If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!”
I want us to get an idea of the darkness - the real darkness that permeated the time of this writing.
But I also want to tell you today - if you are sitting here this morning in darkness - in great darkness - if you are driven to darkness - This is not where God wants us.
In we find King Ahaz - who in belligerence and pride chose his own way - he refuses the challenge to trust God and receive the sign of His promise.
His refusal to trust God drove him to trust Assyria instead of the Lord.
I love what Dr. John Oswalt says, “God’s intended last word is never judgment.
His intended last word is hope!”
because of this misplaced trust, God says through Isaiah that Judgement was coming.
God was going to use Assyria to bring judgment.
- They don’t speak God’s Word because there is no light in them - Behold - trouble and darkness
that sounds bad but he doesn’t stop there it gets worse
The Darkness Deepens
That is what happens here in the midst of judgment and darkness - the prophet stops for a moment and flips the light switch on.
He brings hope!!!
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