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
0.11UNLIKELY
Joy
0.56LIKELY
Sadness
0.53LIKELY
Language Tone
Analytical
0.56LIKELY
Confident
0UNLIKELY
Tentative
0.56LIKELY
Social Tone
Openness
0.9LIKELY
Conscientiousness
0.83LIKELY
Extraversion
0.23UNLIKELY
Agreeableness
0.84LIKELY
Emotional Range
0.78LIKELY
Tone of specific sentences
Tones
Emotion
Language
Social Tendencies
Anger
< .5
.5 - .6
.6 - .7
.7 - .8
.8 - .9
> .9
Yet Not I
Intro
When I was a teenager and even a young adult, I struggled with my identity.
People would ask me what I wanted to be when I grow up and I would always struggle b/c I didn’t know.
There were so many options and many of them were appealing, but on the other hand many of them were not.
My soul would be in turmoil over the question what do you wanna be?
Because intrinsically the question behind that question is who are you.
This situation was even harder for me b/c my best friend and the girl I was crushin on had an answer every time they would be asked.
I felt alone in the dark.
My best friend had his future planned out.
He wanted to be a counselor.
He wanted to help people.
The girl I liked, didn’t know it at the time, but she would become my wife.
All of her hopes and dreams fulfilled.
She wanted to
So I would do things like take endless personality tests online.
I would consult with other people see what they thought I should be.
All the while I would stay lost and confused with what the future would hold.
So I lacked Identity and direction.
I would spend countless sleepless nights worried about my future.
Angsty and frustrated I would call out to God for my purpose.
I would wonder what kind of an impact I would have on the world.
My family.
My friend groups.
It is not until we realize and recognize who God truly is that we can have true security in our identity.
Our Identity isn’t found in what we do.
Our shady past.
Our current or future mistakes.
If we are followers of Jesus our identity is Child of God.
How we live that out is what’s important.
Whether we live it out as a pastor, stay at home mom, clerk, welder, truck driver, retiree.
What we do to live and point people to Jesus is what ultimately matters.
It would be awesome if from the day of our birth or even our conception that we knew the plans that God had for us.
That would certainly help us to know who we are.
Well there is a guy in the NT that had just that.
From before his birth God had already determined what he would do and how he would participate in God’s grand Story.
He’s an important character in all the Gospels and he isn’t Jesus.
He’s John the Baptist.
He served a specific purpose in God’s plan of redemption.
And it started before his conception.
John the Baptist’s was born to a priest named Zechariah and his barren wife Elizabeth.
Luke 1.
Zechariah has a vision in the Temple
He is visited by Gabriel the Angel and This is what was said of John
And at his birth this is what Zechariah prophesied over him.
This is why we read in Jn 1:6-8 “6 There was a man sent from God whose name was John.
7 He came as a witness to testify about the light, so that all might believe through him.
8 He was not the light, but he came to testify about the light.”
John had a purpose, a focus, mission, and a testimony that all pointed to Jesus.
After the prologue of John’s gospel, the first scene we have is John the Baptist being interrogated by some Jews from Jerusalem.
jn 1:19-21
Testimony
The Jewish priests and Levites show up to John and want to ask “Who are you?”
Why would they care who he is?
It appears as if John is making quite a splash in the region.
He has amassed some followers and some disciples.
He may become a threat.
A threat to lead a revolt.
A threat that may cause some disunity between the Jewish authorities and Rome.
A threat that may cause unrest amongst the Jewish people.
So he immediately tells them that He isn’t the Messiah.
As we read a couple of weeks ago he isn’t the Light.
Jn. 1:8
He isn’t the long awaited one.
They are somewhat confused by his claim to not be the Messiah that they Jump to the next possible conclusions.
Is he Elijah?
Is he the Prophet?
Why would they think he’s Elijah?
If you don’t know who Elijah is he is an OT prophet who, according to Scripture, didn’t die but was taken into the presence of God in a whirlwind.
2 Kings 2:11.
He first steps on the scene in 1 Kings 17.
When he is called and sent by God to the Israelites they are steeped in worshipping false idols.
They have traded the glory of God for that of creation.
He calls them to repentance.
Calls them to abandon their sin.
Well in Mal 4:5-6, there is a prophecy about Elijah showing back up.
Mal 4:5-6 “5 Look, I am going to send you the prophet Elijah before the great and terrible day of the Lord comes.
6 And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers.
Otherwise, I will come and strike the land with a curse.””
John’s ministry looks a lot like Elijah’s
He is calling people to repentance.
Calling out the sinfulness in the lives and hearts of people.
Their descriptions are even similar.
2 Kings 1:8 “8 They replied, “A hairy man with a leather belt around his waist.”
He said, “It’s Elijah the Tishbite.””
Matt 3.4 “4 Now John had a camel-hair garment with a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey.”
So the Jewish leaders are thinking that maybe this following that John has amassed is b/c he is the return of Elijah.
You ever heard the phrase if it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck…it must be a duck.
So they thought if he looks like Elijah and teaches like Elijah, he must be Elijah.
But John denies being Elijah.
You may be thinking, hold on, doesn’t Jesus call John the Baptist Elijah.
And you would be correct.
Matt 11:11-14 “11 “Truly I tell you, among those born of women no one greater than John the Baptist has appeared, but the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.
12 From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been suffering violence, and the violent have been seizing it by force.
13 For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John.
14 And if you’re willing to accept it, he is the Elijah who is to come.”
So either John doesn’t know his calling, or he is demonstrating some extreme humility.
We talked about it before.
John the Baptist was all about making much of Jesus.
He didn’t want to distract from Jesus’ ministry.
< .5
.5 - .6
.6 - .7
.7 - .8
.8 - .9
> .9