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
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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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I’ve heard it said “Misery Loves Company.”
Which I recently learned was a quote from the 17th century, but probably made famous by Henry David Thoreau.
But the quote itself has a more antique company.
The 14th century Italian Historian Dominci de Gravina wrote a phrase in Latin which translated says “It is a comfort to the unfortunate to have had a companion in woe.”
How many times I’ve seen this truth played out in my own life, in the lives of others and in the history of the world.
I mean, how many times have I heard, “This tastes awful, try it,” “this smells bad, take a whiff,” or something similar.
There is another quote that is important along these lines.
In 1790 Edmund Burke said “People will not look forward to posterity, who never look backward to their ancestors.”
In 1905 George Santayana wrote “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”
And a few decades later, Winston Churchill probably made the most famous adaptation to the concept, saying “those that fail to learn from the history are doomed to repeat it.”
Then there is the famous mom statement “If all of your friends jumped off of a bridge, would you jump off too?” I’m sure the proper response to that question is “NO.”
I am afraid that these three ideas should make more of an impact on our lives, and the history of the world than they do.
In fact, I think that in some way, God is asking the people of Judah, and Jerusalem, to think about the same concepts as He speaks through the prophet Zephaniah.
(Zephaniah 3:1 – 13)
I. Judgment Against Judah/Jerusalem
A. Jerusalem is deserving
1. Sinful
2. Whole leadership
a. Political
b.
Religious
3. Will not repent
B. God is Just
1. Do no injustice
2.
He regularly shows injustice
3. Opposite of the leadership of Jerusalem
II.
Nations as Warning
A. God was against them
1.
Woes of chapter 2
2. Completely cut off the other nations
B. God gave them the opportunity to repent
1.
Though devastated they still could seek YHWH
2. They continued
III.
Call to Heed the Warning
A. God will call the nations
1.
Some will repent
2. Some will face judgment
B. God will deal with Judah/Jerusalem
1.
The wicked will be removed
2. Righteous rewarded.
C. Coming Judgment
1. Speaking of Eternal Judgment
2. All people encapsulated in nations
a. evil
b. good
3. Thus, this is:
a. a warning
b. a call to repentance
c. a call to faithfulness
d. a promise of reward
Conclusion: While misery does love company, and Satan does use this truth to encourage people to sin and find others who share in the same sin to encourage one another.
God on the other hand is like a parent asking “if all the nations go around worshipping false gods and idols will you too?” with the implied answer “NO” while knowing that they/we will.
He encourages His people, then in Judah and us in the church now, to learn from the judgment He pours out on other peoples and people.
All with the warning that judgment is coming on all people and that we must be prepared for the day.
And, if we are prepared, we will receive a reward.
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