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
0.14UNLIKELY
Disgust
0.08UNLIKELY
Fear
0.57LIKELY
Joy
0.57LIKELY
Sadness
0.56LIKELY
Language Tone
Analytical
0.6LIKELY
Confident
0UNLIKELY
Tentative
0.57LIKELY
Social Tone
Openness
0.86LIKELY
Conscientiousness
0.89LIKELY
Extraversion
0.17UNLIKELY
Agreeableness
0.83LIKELY
Emotional Range
0.66LIKELY
Tone of specific sentences
Tones
Emotion
Language
Social Tendencies
Anger
< .5
.5 - .6
.6 - .7
.7 - .8
.8 - .9
> .9
Martin R DeHaan II wrote a book called, Surviving the Storms of Stress.
He has a section called “Coping isn’t enough” and let me read a little excerpt from it.
“Nancy’s “glass of stress” is full and overflowing.
Wedged between the demands of single-parenting, a rebellious son, and managing an office, she has just about had it.
When she heard that I was writing about peace and stress, she said, “Oh, I’m reading something right now about how to cope with stress.
I hope I find out in time!”
Most of us pressure-cooker people would, like Nancy, consider it success just to cope with our stress.”
According to the dictionary, coping is “to struggle or deal, especially on fairly even terms or with some degree of success.”
DeHaan likens it with treading water, and never quite making it to shore.
Just keeping our heads above water leaves us vulnerable to any big wave that comes along.
Is this really what God wants for us, to just cope and tread water, or to live in peace?
In his book called, “The Pressure’s Off,” Larry Crabb reminds us that we live near a three-headed dragon.
The world is around us, the devil prowls toward us, and the flesh lies within us (Page 61).
It’s no wonder why so many of us are out of whack.
We’re surrounded by the woes of the world, Satan continuously plans sneak attacks against us, and we’re saturated with our own sinfulness.
All of that can create a kind of perpetual chaos in our lives, where we feel pressure, stress, conflict, fear, guilt and even shame.
G.K. Chesterton was right when he said, “Whatever else is or is not true, this one thing is certain—man is not what he was meant to be.”
Ever since Adam and Eve sinned, the human race has not been what it was meant to be.
Sometimes it’s because we have let too much of the world in; other times it’s because we’ve given in to the devil; and other times we’re simply done in by our propensity to sin.
Or, it’s simply circumstances’ that cave in on us.
The book of Judges chronicles a very tough time in the history of Israel.
Judges 2:18-19 summarizes their spiritual situation:
The very last phrase of this book gives us insight into why things were going south for them (Judges 21:25):
And because of that, on seven different occasions we read of God’s people cycling through a period of rebellion which led to retribution from God.
After suffering for some time, they would eventually repent and then be restored to a time of rest and peace.
But then they’d begin the process all over again.
This diagram of their dilemma may be helpful.
Let’s look at four ways we can break out of this same cycle from Judges 6.
1. Recognize your woes (1-5).
It was during one of these cycles that God called upon Gideon.
We find the nation of Israel, having turned their backs on God once again.
After a time of prosperity, the people had gotten proud and then pushed God away.
That happens in our lives too, doesn’t it?
We receive a few blessings, and then we start to drift away from our spiritual moorings.
Sometimes, our church attendance becomes spotty, we slow down in our serving, and we end up becoming selfish with our time, talents, and treasures.
Verse 1 tells us that because they did evil in the eyes of the Lord.
The Midianites were extremely powerful and oppressed the Israelites mercilessly.
The name Midian means “strife.”
Because things were so bad, God’s people had left their homes and were living in holes in the ground, fearing for their lives.
They had no peace at all.
The Midianites were nomadic people, and would invade Israel every year at harvest time.
Judges 6:5 mentions,
As a result, God’s people were stressed out and were living in fear.
The first step to healing and wholeness is always to admit your situation before God.
Are you in a mess, in distress, or living with stress?
If so, put your woes into words.
2. Request What You Want
Finally, after seven long years, the Israelites cried out to the Lord for help: Judges 6:6
It’s hart to understand why they would take this long before turning back to God.
It’s as if they waited until they couldn’t take it any longer.
Does that sound familiar?
We know God is trying to get our attention but we hold out, thinking that we can handle it on our own.
Even when God allows bad stuff to happen in our life, we often refuse to repent and return to Him.
God wants to use the tough things you are going through right now in order to get your attention!
Has it been a while since you’ve cried out for help?
It’s time to turn to the only one who can help you.
3. Receive His Word
Judges 6:7-10,
Verse 7 is powerful because it shows that when we cry out to God, He will respond.
In this case, He sends an unnamed prophet to remind them of their history and heritage and then he delivers the message that God expects total surrender and full devotion.
While God wants us to ask for help, He wants us to receive His Word, even if it hurts.
This prophet is used by God to get them to see the depths of their depravity.
Their main problem was that they had totally forgotten God…and they needed to admit that.
Verse 11 shows Gideon was threshing some wheat in a winepress to keep it from the Midianites.
The Hebrew word used here expresses the idea of hiding.
A winepress was made out of stone and was built underground.
When someone would thresh wheat they’d normally do it out in the open so that the wind could blow away the chaff.
But Gideon is afraid of the Midianites and so he’s whacking the wheat with a stick underground.
He’s defeated and discouraged, filled with doubts and fears.
Judges 6:12,
This time God doesn’t send a prophet; He sends the “Angel of the Lord,” which many commentators believe is the preincarnate Christ!
Also, in Hebrew, this phrase, “The Lord is with you” is the root to the name “Immanuel,” God with us, which was the name used for Jesus in Isaiah 7:14 and Matthew 1:23.
After being called a mighty warrior, Gideon questions God out loud, Judges 6:13,
I do not think Gideon was expecting what happened next, Judges 6:14,
Judges 6:15-16 has Gideon giving excuses as to why he cannot do what God is asking him, and God confirming his presence,
God is not one that entertains excuses when he calls on us, but He never expects us to do His will alone, because just like Gideon, He will be with us.
Gideon then has the nerve to ask for the first of several signs just to be sure it is truly God.
He wants the Lord to wait for a few minutes while he runs off and bakes some bread and throws a goat on the grill.
The meal is placed on a rock as an offering for the angel and then is consumed by God’s holy flames.
With the divine fire of acceptance falling upon Gideon’s offering, he responds the only way he can…in worship.
4. Respond in Worship
Judges 6:22
When Gideon realizes that He is in the presence of God, he is very nervous because he realizes that he has been in the presence of God himself and he’s afraid that he will be struck dead.
The words of Exodus 33:20 are probably ringing in his ears: “You cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.”
Judges 6:23, has God trying to put Gideon at ease,
Notice it is not the angel of the Lord any longer.
I think we underestimate the impact these words had on Gideon.
He and his people had not known peace for seven long years.
They were all afraid and worried about dying every day.
And now Gideon had casually conversed with God, daring to question and complain to the King of Heaven.
God could rightly smoke him just like he did to the meat and the bread in verse 21, but the Lord instead pronounced peace.
Gideon was about to experience peace with God, with himself, and with others.
To a man who had not known peace in a long time, this was the premiere promise.
He was bursting with joy because of this blessing and therefore he wanted to mark the occasion so he would never forget.
Look at verse 24, Judges 6:24
Judges 6:24a (ESV)
24 Then Gideon built an altar there to the Lord and called it, The Lord Is Peace.
This is the only time that we see this combination of names: Jehovah Shalom.
The Great I Am is Perfect Peace.
The Significance of Shalom
< .5
.5 - .6
.6 - .7
.7 - .8
.8 - .9
> .9