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.
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Anger
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Risk… your friendships
Growing up my brother, Jono, and I had friends, brothers, Luke and Alex, we played with all the time in the 90s.
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.
We would get together for the purpose of having fun.
And what would be fun to do together?
Let’s play Risk.
Get all setup, that takes an hour, settle in and play, that takes a few more hours.
We all like Risk, this is good fun.
We are here to have fun together.
We also enjoy the competitive aspect, play to win, world domination, alliances and treaties, all that.
You missed a card on your turn, nope too late next turn started.
You misrolled the dice… no you can’t re-roll just the low one.
Dude, you didn’t have 10 armies there, I counted, I left the room.
You are a cheater face.
Treaty over, backstab, how do you like that?
No, your win doesn’t count, you’re a cheater, I hate you, I’m going home!
Good times.
World domination, greatness, success… but did we actually do what we set out to do?
Greatness
When “greatness” is the goal, an end in itself, it can be called “greatness-ism”… an obsession or pursuit of “greatness.”
So… let’s use a better word.
Great is what they will call me if I am successful!
Success
Of course we want to be successful!
Anyone set out to be a failure or to fail at things?
No, that’s ridiculous.
That isn’t a bad thing.
You think I’m about to pull a switch-eroo on you, but aiming for success at worthy endeavors isn’t a bad thing.
What are your goals?
What do you strive for?
Look, we aren’t trying to be “successful at taking over the world.”
Well… I see Arabelle over there, so I’ll speak for myself.
I’m not trying to be successful at taking over the world.
I want good things, great things for my family and my church… to be successful at Fatherhood, Husbanding, at work, at church.
These are good “life” things.
We want our church to be successful, to grow in numbers, to grow in discipleship, our ministries to be “successful” in what they set out to accomplish.
These are good “church” or “God” things.
I remember doing this Advisory Board years ago, what is success and how are we going to measure it so that we know it’s been successful?
There’s a potential trap there, one we were usually trying to be aware of.
How you define “greatness” or “success” is critically important.
What happens when success or greatness becomes the goal?
An end in itself.
This is a sneaky thing.
You identify some good goals, and then strive to achieve them, do anything to achieve them…
… you very quickly find yourself with an idol, an imitation god.
Jesus’ Temptation
Now I’ve been hungry, and I’ve fasted… but not 40 days.
That’s miraculous.
I’ve never been that hungry.
And I’m going to assume it was one of those Hawaiian rolls… or the ones from Texas Roadhouse, hot, fresh fresh pad of butter.
Satan tempts Jesus with the solution to his problems… and Jesus responds:
Jesus resists the physical temptation.
Jesus knew that life was more than physical life.
Location is important.
Here we are at the temple, the seat of ministry.
Here to prove that he is the Son of God, where better than before all the worshippers at the temple?
This is how I would write the story: the Son of God revealed before all the faithful worshippers as he floats down from the temple peak supported by radiant angels!
Greatness!
Success!
Religious success, validation as the Son of God!
No cross necessary.
So the devil tries again.
Luke says the same thing in a slightly different way:
Now, this isn’t crazy, is it?
Don’t we say and sing “every knee will bow, every tongue confess, Jesus is Lord.”
We want people to come to Jesus… and here is all authority and all glory, all the peoples, all the kingdoms of the world!
Jesus wins the game of Risk.
And… it skips past the cross!
Jesus doesn’t have to go through all of that pain, all of that suffering, the pain and betrayal, all the mess of it.
Greatness beckons.
Success is a moment away.
Just, you know, have to worship Satan for a second.
Apparently Satan has the right to offer this, the world temporarily under his dominion.
Jesus doesn’t say “you have no right to offer it.”
It’s a real offer.
Jesus is tempted with a shortcut to greatness and success… and he resists.
An answer not only to this temptation but to all of them.
Jesus will receive food as and when my Father wills.
Jesus will receive religious greatness and success only by His Father’s hand.
Jesus will be worshipped and receive the glory of all Creation… but by way of the cross.
Jesus resists every temptation to shortcut that, to skip past the cross, to step outside the Will, Way and Timing of His Heavenly Father.
Resist the devil and he will flee from you.
Real Greatness, Real Success
So what do we do?
How do we avoid the trap of “greatness-ism” or “success-ism”?
We have to learn to recognize what greatness and success really look like.
Greatness and Success look like a broke and homeless former carpenter who failed to build a significant following in a rural backwater and was tried and executed.
Humble Faithfulness is the way of the cross.
Greatness and Success look like Jesus.
Jesus Christ and him crucified.
Greatness and Success look like his disciples, almost all of whom died young, broke, and far from home and family.
We must learn what greatness and success really look like.
This is a redefinition, counter to the world’s definition.
Greatness and success only ever happens in God’s Will, God’s Way, in God’s timing.
That takes patience and discernment, waiting on God.
Not every opportunity is an invitation from God.
Not every opportunity is an invitation from God.
I see how great this could be… I see how it could bring success in every way.
But it’s the invitation of Satan to step outside the will of God.
Sometimes it’s obvious: when Satan says “worship me...” Don’t.
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