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
You’re not the biggest fish in the pond… I am not the most important person in the room.
Life is not all about me.
This is the opposite of the prevailing wisdom of the world today… Life is about you being all you can be, getting all you can get, doing all that you want to do.
It’s getting, and doing, and having everything.
Solomon says that’s nothing but a fool’s fantasy.
What is the good life?
Where do we find meaning in life?
Body
The good life is not found in...
The pursuit of happiness (1:12-15).
Verse 15… A crooked stick, an empty basket…
Happiness is not found in the pursuit of happiness.
Pursuing happiness to get happy is as pointless as counting apples that don’t exist or trying to make a crooked stick straight.
Being the smartest person in the room (1:16-18).
Verse 18… The more you know, the more you’re responsible for.
Ignorance is bliss.
I don’t know how hot dogs are made, and I don’t want to know how hot dogs are made.
Getting the most stuff and having the most fun (2:1-11).
Solomon had and did everything he wanted…
And yet, it was pointless.
See verse 11… “I have everything, but I feel like I have nothing.”
The more you have, the more you want.
Following the rules better than everyone else (2:12-17).
“I lived the party life and found it empty.
I’ll try living the prude life.
Instead of being a rule breaker, I’ll be a rule keeper.”
There is benefit in living wisely, see verses 13-14.
Verse 16b… And yet, at the end of the day death comes to both the wise and the fool.
Death comes for both the rule breaker and the rule keeper.
Death finds both the prodigal and the puritan.
No matter how good you are, you can’t be good enough to escape death.
Having a successful career (2:18-23).
Verses 18-19… You work so hard, but the person who takes your place may be a fool who ruins it all.
Verse 21… You leave behind all the fruit of your labor to someone else who didn’t work for it.
You did all the work, they have all the fun… Meaningless!
Verse 23… You stress out all day over your work and lie awake at night because of your job.
What is thread the ties all this together?
Self.
The good life is not found in living for self.
You are not the point.
This is the opposite of what you’ll hear from society today, but how is their wisdom working out?
Depression, drug use, suicide, mental illness… at an all-time high.
The good life is found in being content with God and what he chooses to give you (2:24-26).
How do we cultivate contentment?
What are you asking God for?
The Lord’s prayer…
Gratitude is the antidote for discontentment.
A thankful heart is a happy heart.
Happiness follows gratitude (not the other way around).
Conclusion
You can’t be content with what you don’t have.
Do you have God?
Would you like to?
In order to get God, you must give up yourself.
But he gives you a new life, as a citizen of his kingdom, as son or a daughter in his household.
And the life he gives is The Good Life.
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