Sermon Tone Analysis
Overall tone of the sermon
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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
Many people will look at what has been graciously given and done for the son who wandered and squandered all that was his Fathers.
The stuff the Father gave him as he requested before it should have been his.
Yet, we too often overlook the great lessons from the brother who did not wander and stayed home and worked.
He had everything as his because he was the firstborn.
He had it all and had no reason to complain.
His brother who had been off in the far country had returned home and that should bring joy.
Yet, it does not.
It brings anger and frustration.
It does so because the older brother is comparing what he has not had given him rather than what he had.
We all to often do this ourselves.
We will look at what we do not have given us and get mad because we want that.
When we do this we miss the joy of what we do have.
We miss the amazing blessings that are ours.
We will look at others’ things and compare it against what we have.
What is sad is when we do this, other people are looking at what you have and are jealous or desire it because they don’t have what you have.
Much like life in general.
We see other people who have similar situations and circumstances that we have.
Yet we see them doing better and holding together better than us.
We see them with their busy schedules and doing so much more than even we do and doing it better.
We will scoff at that rather than look at it as an encouragement and learning exercise.
We will become angered and bitter at them rather than seek to learn how they are managing.
We will allow sin to over run us and take away our joy and happiness.
We will allow that to make us bitter and hateful rather than joyful with what we do have and with what we can do well.
We become enamored with what others have and can do and want to be like them.
This is what has caused many in the world to emulate and seek to become like a celebrity or another talented person.
It has caused some to become hermits and filled with hate at the world rather than to embrace the amazing life and gifts God has given them.
It makes us much like the Older Son in the Parable of the Prodigal Son.
This text is found in Luke 15:11-32 but we will start our reading in Luke 15:23 and conclude at Luke 15:32.
In this text we see first that the son is:
Angry With What Others Have (23-28a)
Oh what a joy it must have been for the father to see his son come home.
What joy in knowing that he was alive and had came back.
That was a most joyous occasion and one worthy of celebration.
The father’s love for this child was extraordinarily known by this.
The prodigal son felt he would be received as nothing more than a servant, as would have been par for the culture then, and what many may do nowadays too.
He was received as a beloved child who had came back.
He was always loved and sought after by the father and the son was given extreme grace and love upon his return.
Verses 23-24 tell this story of joy and happiness.
How they threw this massive party and celebration for the return of the lost and found son.
We see here an example of the Fathers love for his children who stray and an example of His amazing grace.
Not only do we see this amazing grace and love of our Father God portrayed in the father in this story, but we see what happens with others who do not understand grace and love.
This is the older brother who hears the noise of the party and calls a servant to explain what it was.
He hears and is immediately furious.
He sees that his brother, the brother who took his share of his inheritance, basically telling the father I wish you were dead, and blew it on worldly items, is being celebrated and blessed with a massive party.
Oh he was angry and furious and wanted no part of this foolish and ridiculous party.
He was angry much like how John McEnroe used to get in tennis.
If he did not make a serve right or if something went wrong he would throw a temper tantrum.
He would act like a small child right in front of everyone.
He would sulk and pout and stomp around because he did not receive what he felt he should.
This is what we see with the older son.
“He would not go in.”
He was pouting and sulking around because he was angry over what another had.
He was coveting his brother and the amazing grace that had been extended to him.
The same grace that is for him.
The same grace his father would show him if he did this.
He should have been in awe and enamored with his fathers love.
Yet, he was angry.
How often do we do the same thing with other people?
How often do we look at the grace of God in other people’s lives and get angry rather than stand in awe of the amazing grace of the Lord?
We will get mad when something good happens for another because we want to see them pay.
We fail to remember that God is a loving and compassionate God.
Psalm 103:8 tells us, “The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.”
His grace offered to others who we deem as unworthy is a showing of this steadfast love and mercy and grace.
God does this for others and we miss that in our anger of them receiving something we say they should not.
We feel betrayed and allow:
Jealousy Over Joy (28b-30)
This son was so mad and we will see that his anger was fueled by jealousy, that he would not go in.
His father, who is full of grace and love, condescended to his son, he lowered himself below his status, and went out to his son.
He did this as an act of grace and love, just like with the son who had been lost and now was found.
The father heard some very harsh talk and arguments from this son.
He was berated by the son and spoken to as a fool rather than an all-loving and compassionate grace filled father.
This jealousy has overridden any sense the older son had.
He is so infuriated that he cannot see the blessings he has at all times.
The father tells him, “you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours.”
The older son had everything as his with his father.
The property was fully his and all that was with it was his.
He had everything in the father.
The younger brother had strayed and had nothing but came back and his father loved him.
That should have made the older brother fall down in awe of the love his father has.
Yet, in jealous rage he rebuked his father.
He called him out.
He challenged him.
He questioned him rather than trusting and resting in him.
Rather than rejoicing in the fact that his brother had returned and was restored.
Jealousy over grace is what the older brother had.
We struggle with this too.
We struggle with jealousy over God’s grace to others.
How often do we challenge God for what He does rather than rejoicing that someone received his grace?
We all to often challenge God over what He does for others.
We become angry because God gave grace to another and blessed them when we may still be struggling.
When we may still be out in the field serving and struggling.
We become jealous and frustrated rather than showing joy.
Why do we do this?
We are much like this man and wife:
After forty years of faithful service to the Lord as a missionary to Africa, Henry Morrison and his wife were returning to New York.
As the ship neared the dock, Henry said to his wife, “Look at that crowd.
They haven't forgotten about us”.
However, unknown to Henry, the ship also carried President Teddy Roosevelt, returning from a big game hunting trip in Africa.
Roosevelt stepped from the boat, with great fanfare, as people were cheering, flags were waving, bands were playing, and reporters waiting for his comment, Henry and his wife slowly walked away unnoticed.
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