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
0.59LIKELY
Confident
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Tentative
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Social Tone
Openness
0.67LIKELY
Conscientiousness
0.9LIKELY
Extraversion
0.12UNLIKELY
Agreeableness
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Emotional Range
0.59LIKELY
Tone of specific sentences
Tones
Emotion
Language
Social Tendencies
Anger
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Introduction
In this lesson, I want to take a look at the sermon on the mount because it’s Jesus’ explanation of how Kingdom Citizens should live.
This sermon is extremely important for us as Christians.
One scholar called it the Kingdom Manifesto
It’s not just an important sermon, it’s also a very difficult sermon.
It contains many difficult teachings.
This sermon is difficult because Jesus is preaching about the upside-down values of the upside-down kingdom.
Many bible students and scholars have admitted that the demands of Jesus in this sermon are extreme, and this makes sense because.
These teachings are supposed to be different from how we think.
So, here’s what I want to do in this lesson.
I want to look at some of the difficult teachings in the sermon and spend some time talking about it.
Then at the end of the lesson, we are going to talk about what the Sermon on the Mount means for you and me.
The Requirements of the Kingdom
Anger (Matthew 5:21-26)
In this section, Jesus talks about how Kingdom Citizens should not be angry with one another, but he goes even further than this.
He says that if we insult one of our brothers, then we are guilty of God’s judgment.
This is a difficult saying, isn’t it?
I know it’s difficult because we almost spend more time talking about what this saying does not mean, than we do talking about what it does mean.
This isn’t a good thing.
When we spend more time talking about the exceptions of the rule than we do talking about the rule, then we’ve done something wrong.
We do this with divorce and remarriage.
This saying of Jesus is so difficult that we spend more time looking at the exceptions than looking at the rule.
Why is this?
Some people just want an excuse to be angry with their brothers and sisters.
Some people just want an excuse to be angry in life.
(on the road, at the restaurant, at home)
What’s the rule?
Jesus says that we should not be angry, and that is difficult.
Humiliation (Matthew 5:38-42)
In this section, Jesus deals with being humiliated, or being taken advantage of.
If we read this for what it is, then Jesus says that if people are going to humiliate and take advantage of you, then let them do it.
This is also difficult, isn’t it?
I know it’s difficult, because we definitely spend more time talking about what this doesn’t mean than we do talking about what it does mean.
I can’t think of many times when we do talk about what this verse means… We always talk about what it doesn’t mean.
I know Jesus said this, but he didn’t really mean that…
It’s like we think that we can improve on Jesus’ words.
Jesus’ words here cannot mean nothing… They must mean something.
I would encourage you to talk about this with your family when you get home.
I understand why we do this.
Jesus’ teachings here are difficult.
Jesus literally says that if someone wants to take our shirt, then we should give them our jacket.
How many of us would do this?
I wouldn’t.
This is difficult teaching, but that’s a part of being a part of the upside-down kingdom.
And notice that Jesus himself did it.
When the soldiers wanted to take, beat, and humiliate Jesus, he let them do it.
So, Jesus commands his disciples not to retaliate.
Treasures in Heaven (Matthew 6:19-24)
Here, Jesus tells us to lay up treasures in Heaven and not on Earth, but what does this mean?
Does this that we find the Heaven 401K and start making contributions?
Luke 12:32-34.
In the context, Jesus has been talking about not being anxious for tomorrow...
So, laying up treasures in Heaven is actually something that we do with our wealth.
We lay up treasures in Heaven when we use our treasures to take care of others.
So, in this context Jesus tells his disciples not to be anxious about tomorrow because God is going to take care of you.
So, you don’t need to store up all of this wealth on earth.
Instead store up treasures in Heaven by using your wealth to help others.
This isn’t saying that it’s sinful to have a savings or retirement, but it is saying store up treasures in heaven first.
Instead of paying ourselves first, we need to store up treasures in Heaven by helping others.
Is this easy or difficult?
It’s difficult for me.
Jesus teaches us that we should help others before we store up treasures for ourselves.
Perfection (Matthew 5:48)
Here, Jesus tells us that we must be perfect.
But it’s not just any type of perfection, we must be perfect in the same way that God is perfect.
Can we do this?
Can we fulfill the requirements of Jesus’ sermon?
Can we be perfect the way that God is perfect?
This section is one of the most troubling sections in the sermon, so many people try to come up with excuses why Jesus doesn’t really mean ‘perfect.’
Someone might say that the word doesn’t really mean perfect.
It means complete or mature, but I don’t think that really fixes the problem.
Can we be complete or mature in the same way that God is complete or mature?
The answer is no.
We are broken human beings, and we will never be able to live up to God’s expectation of perfection or maturity.
I’m never going to be as whole, complete, mature, or perfect as God is perfect.
So, how do we explain all of this?
What’s the point?
Jesus is our only hope.
What’s the point of the sermon on the mount?
If we can’t perfectly live up to Jesus’ expectations, then what is this sermon trying to teach us?
This sermon is trying to teach us that we are broken.
We are not perfect, so we need Jesus, the great physician.
Someone one might ask, “Do you think God expects or commands something that we cannot do?”
Yes, and he’s done it before.
“Be Holy for I am Holy.”
Is it possible for the Israelites to be perfectly holy in the way that God is holy?
It’s not possible.
When Isaiah is brought before God’s throne, he despairs because he’s unholy.
God expected and commanded the Israelites to keep the law, and were they able to do that perfectly?
Peter calls it a burden that they were unable to bear.
Acts 15:10.
When Jesus says be perfect as God is perfect, he wants us to see our brokenness and realize that he is our only hope.
It reminds me of what the disciples asked Jesus.
“Then who can be saved?”
“What is impossible with man is possible with God.”
The point
That’s the point: Jesus is our only hope.
Once we are done reading the Sermon on the Mount, we are supposed to feel unworthy.
So, this feeling takes us back to the beginning of the sermon.
Matthew 5:1-6.
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