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
0.12UNLIKELY
Disgust
0.09UNLIKELY
Fear
0.09UNLIKELY
Joy
0.66LIKELY
Sadness
0.59LIKELY
Language Tone
Analytical
0.68LIKELY
Confident
0UNLIKELY
Tentative
0.21UNLIKELY
Social Tone
Openness
0.96LIKELY
Conscientiousness
0.79LIKELY
Extraversion
0.06UNLIKELY
Agreeableness
0.58LIKELY
Emotional Range
0.64LIKELY
Tone of specific sentences
Tones
Emotion
Language
Social Tendencies
Anger
< .5
.5 - .6
.6 - .7
.7 - .8
.8 - .9
> .9
Delight, chapter 9: Jesus, obedience, and suffering
We are currently in our series on Delight… looking at all the ways that Delight is mentioned in the Bible.
And we’re asking the question… what does Delight have to do with following Jesus?
What does Delight have to do with Jesus’ love for us?
Isaiah’s Bright Light
Our text this morning just may be one of the hardest texts in all of the Bible.
And when we say hardest, we’re not talking about difficulty in understanding.
I think we know perfectly well what is being said.
When we say “hardest” text in all of the Bible, this is one of those texts that for us, is very hard to accept.
It’s hard enough talking about how to Delight in suffering.
And there are plenty of instances in the Bible where suffering and delight are mentioned in the same sentence.
But Isaiah takes it a step further.
There’s no putting a soft pillow over the jagged edges of what Isaiah is saying.
This is Isaiah taking a huge bright light into a dark alley and exposing our discomfort.
This is Isaiah taking a loudspeaker to our attempt to whisper in quiet tones.
This is Isaiah taking us by the collar and saying, “Look at this.
Stop looking away.
Look at this.
Look at what you’ve done.”
Isaiah’s Context
This shocking statement occurs in one of the most famous sermons ever delivered before Jesus was born.
Isaiah chapter 53 talks about sheep going astray, and says “by his wounds we are healed.”
Almost 700 years before Jesus was born, Isaiah is talking about how Jesus would die.
No text in the Old Testament has more to say about Jesus and his death than Isaiah 53.
But Isaiah isn’t simply talking randomly about some future hope for Israel.
He’s speaking to a people who aren’t listening.
Israel’s kingdom is in its last days.
Kings David and Solomon are distant memories.
The glory of Israel is fading.
They are no longer a world power.
They are pushovers.
They are weak.
And they have abandoned the one true God.
The God who saved them hundreds of years before, leading them through the Red Sea and into the Promised Land.
Babylon is Coming
Isaiah tells them that their Promised Land will be taken away from them.
And they will end up in a land far, far away… a place called Babylon.
Judgment is coming.
Babylon will not play nice.
Babylon will be a world power.
And Israel will not escape the horror show.
But there is hope.
At some point in the future there will be One that God will send.
Throughout the book of Isaiah, this hope is known as the Suffering Servant.
Isaiah 53 is a big reason why this hope is called the suffering servant.
Their hope won’t be the typical hope.
Babylon has a big, bad king.
Israel’s hope isn’t going to be a champion all decorated in glory.
Israel’s hope is in a lowly servant.
And this servant isn’t going to establish a rule, the way the normal champion would establish justice.
In fact, just like Isaiah’s audience is rejecting Isaiah’s message, when this servant comes, he’s going to get the same reception as Isaiah has received.
All the suffering of the Servant
This is what Isaiah 53 has to say about the Servant who is coming to bring justice and peace and healing:
He didn’t have an impressive form
He was despised and rejected by men,
He was a man of suffering who knew what sickness was.
He was like someone people turned away from;
he was despised
He was struck down by God
He was afflicted.
He was pierced
He was crushed
He bore our sicknesses
He carried our pains
He was punished
He was oppressed and afflicted,
He was taken away because of oppression and judgment,
He was cut off from the land of the living;
He was struck
He was assigned a grave with the wicked
If you have been following allow with the story of Isaiah… and you’re one who has been listening to Isaiah talk about impending doom, when you hear these words, there’s a bit of a double take.
For starters, the language here, to this point, is about what Babylon will eventually do to Israel: Despised.
Rejected.
Struck down.
Crushed.
Punished.
Oppressed.
Cut off.
That’s the doom that awaits Israel.
You’ve been hearing this language applied to you.
This is your doom.
But then Isaiah starts talking about this servant who is coming who is going to provide healing and rest and peace and hope.
And now all this doom language is being applied to Israel’s hope.
That’s a bit of a shocker, and it’s a bit of a downer.
The audience, who already doesn’t care for Isaiah all that much is thinking, “Oh really?
That’s Israel’s champion?
Not exactly the stuff of legend.
If that’s the One who is coming to take his place on the throne of King David forever, that doesn’t look like much.
That’s suffering.
Horrific suffering.
The reason for the suffering and death of the Servant
But there’s a reason why there is so much suffering for the servant.
The suffering of the servant is caused by the very people who refused to listen to Isaiah.
This is the champion they need.
But it’s not just those who refuse to listen.
Isaiah changes the pronouns.
He’s no longer talking about the suffering of the servant for the people of Israel.
He includes himself.
He counts himself among those who need this kind of suffering servant.
Why? Here’s why the servant will suffer at some point in the future:
< .5
.5 - .6
.6 - .7
.7 - .8
.8 - .9
> .9