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
0.1UNLIKELY
Disgust
0.06UNLIKELY
Fear
0.09UNLIKELY
Joy
0.7LIKELY
Sadness
0.18UNLIKELY
Language Tone
Analytical
0.62LIKELY
Confident
0.15UNLIKELY
Tentative
0UNLIKELY
Social Tone
Openness
0.75LIKELY
Conscientiousness
0.7LIKELY
Extraversion
0.23UNLIKELY
Agreeableness
0.93LIKELY
Emotional Range
0.65LIKELY
Tone of specific sentences
Tones
Emotion
Language
Social Tendencies
Anger
< .5
.5 - .6
.6 - .7
.7 - .8
.8 - .9
> .9
How do you hear God for yourself?
Speak, for Your servant is listening.
3 Keys to prepare to hear from God
1 Samuel 3:1–11 (NASB95)
So the Lord called Samuel again for the third time.
And he arose and went to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.”
Then Eli discerned that the Lord was calling the boy.
And Eli said to Samuel, “Go lie down, and it shall be if He calls you, that you shall say, ‘Speak, Lord, for Your servant is listening.’
” So Samuel went and lay down in his place.
1) “Speak, LORD…”
Develop an insistent desire in your heart to hear from the Lord.
......don’t wait until things are dire, instead develop this before thigs become dire
This is consistent with God’s desire to speak to us, to reveal Himself more and more to us:
The triune God — Father, Son, and Holy Spirit — desires to speak to us.
Jesus said
God the Father has made His Son Jesus “Lord of all”
The Holy Spirit takes from the Lord Jesus’'s fullness and declares things to us.
So Key #1 is to be ever mindful that God desires to impart wisdom, truth, guidance, and more to us.
Our grateful response should be a continual, daily attitude of: “SPEAK, LORD!”
2) “…Your Servant…”
In the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus taught us to pray to our heavenly Father: “Thy will be done”
We are forever the servants of God, the doers of His will.
That is the attitude to take towards Him in any prayer, any petition, any desire to hear from Him.
As you express to the Lord your heartfelt desire to hear from Him (“Speak, Lord”), consider the example of many of the Bible writers, who certainly showed an excellent, God-given ability to discern the voice of God.
These men heard from God at an exquisite level.
Under God’s inspiration they wrote many of the books of the Bible!
What was the attitude of their hearts?
—
...“Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus”
… “James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ”
… “Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ”
2 Peter 1:1
...“Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ”
Jude 1:1) …
....“from Jesus Christ…to His servant John”
Paul, James, Peter, Jude, John — great men of God who really knew how to hear from God, even at the highest level of hearing and recording inspired Scripture!
How did each of these great hearers of God introduce themselves in the very first verse of their writing?
As “servants”!
Approach God as His servant, desiring and willing to hear from Him whatever in His divine wisdom He wishes to speak to you
and which He wishes you to obey as a good servant does.
So Key #2 is to present yourself to God as His willing servant, desiring to know and do His will.
Your cry to Him is now 2/3 ready: “SPEAK, LORD, YOUR SERVANT…”
Now how does Key #3 complete the wisdom God spoke by the priest Eli?
3) “…Is Listening”
We’ve established that God desires to speak to us.
We’ve seen that our response should be a “Speak, Lord” spoken to Him out of a servant's heart.
But there’s a third key, and without it we'll never be consistently effective at hearing from God.
And that key is: “Speak, Lord, your servant IS LISTENING.”
In Revelation chapters 2 and 3, Jesus wrote letters to 7 churches.
To all seven the Lord said,
“Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”
The Holy Spirit is willing to speak to us.
Our part is: let’s be LISTENING.
Life in the 21st century can be crushingly busy.
It’s very important that we often stop, put other things aside, and like the prophet Elijah get ourselves “before the Lord” (vs.
11) and listen to His “still small voice” .
As in life generally, when we approach the Lord desiring to hear from Him, apply the wisdom of
James 1:19 and be “quick to listen, slow to speak.”
So How does God speak to us today?
God can speak to people in many different ways and guide them with their cooperation.
The Bible is full of stories of God speaking to his people–
God speaking to Adam and Eve in the Garden as he walked and talked with them,
God speaking to Moses from the burning bush,
God speaking to Nebuchadnezzar in a dream.
In each case God told people his will and when God told them what he wanted of them, they were able to consciously participate in it, or they were able to reject it.
Adam and Eve defied God even though they knew what he demanded of them.
Jonah heard from the Lord and ran away.
Abraham heard from the Lord and obeyed.
All through the Bible we see God speaking and giving guidance and instruction.
In all these ways and so many more, God spoke to people and guided them with their cooperation.
Through Jesus
Hebrews 1:1-4 (NASB95)
God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways,
This is not past tense but present.
And how has God spoken to us through Jesus?
He has revealed himself, his own character and glory, in the person and work of Jesus Christ.
Through Jesus God has spoken to us as never before.
Through His Spirit
Through the Bible
The Bible is God’s greatest revelation to His people.
Through Prayer
God also speaks to us when we pray.
Unfortunately, many of us have the mistaken idea that the purpose of prayer is to change God’s mind.
We think, “If I can just plead with God long enough and hard enough, He’ll give me what I’m asking for.
” Prayer is not a way to twist God’s arm.
Prayer is God’s means of getting through to us, so that we can do things for Him!
As we pray, God takes our focus off of our needs and puts our focus on His love and His power.
Through prayer, God changes our perspective to conform to His purposes; He establishes His priorities for our lives; He leads us into all truth.
Through others
The Bible records many instances in which God used one individual to deliver His message to another individual.
God may speak to you through another individual—a friend, a parent, a pastor, even a stranger.
You would be wise to confirm what you hear God saying by seeking affirmation of that direction through wise, Godly people.
Through Dreams & Visions
Though Our Thoughts percieved thoughts
Conclusion
Hear God’s Voice
Read your Bible; study it to learn God’s ways.
Meditate on Scripture.
Make yourself available to God through prayer.
Worship the Lord.
Be still in His presence.
< .5
.5 - .6
.6 - .7
.7 - .8
.8 - .9
> .9