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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Openness
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Conscientiousness
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Extraversion
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Agreeableness
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Tone of specific sentences
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Anger
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A tough old cowboy from Texas counseled his granddaughter that if she wanted to live a long life, the secret was to sprinkle a pinch of gun powder on her oatmeal every morning.
The granddaughter did this religiously until the age of 103, when she died.
She left behind 14 children, 30 grandchildren, 45 great-grandchildren, 25 great-great-grandchildren, and a 40-foot hole where the crematorium used to be.
Historical/Cultural Context -
The book of James was written by the half-brother of Jesus.
The Son of Joseph and Mary.
Written in the early 40s.
He wrote to primarily Jews who were Christians, as at this time it was so early in the spread of Christianity that it had not been widely adopted by non-jews, also known as Gentiles.
James encouraged his readers to live consistent Christian lives in the midst of persecution for their faith in Christ.
Biblical Text -
-[Prayer]-
Life Principle - Walking Right, Means To Speak No Evil, And To Watch Out For Presumption And Arrogance.
Life Point- Speak No Evil
Exegetical -
Homiletical -
Speaking evil of someone to others is prohibited.
The word translated “speak evil” is actually better translated, in my opinion anyway, as “slander”.
What is slander?
According the ISB Encyclopedia
It is an accusation maliciously uttered, with the purpose or effect of damaging the reputation of another.
As a rule it is a false charge; but it may be a truth circulated insidiously and with a hostile purpose.
So, slander could be falsities or it could be truth that is circulated but only to hurt someone.
slander or speaking evil of someone what else do we call that?
How about Gossip.
You see that?
One who is a false witness and sows discord among brethren!
Discord, i.e. causing tension, fighting, evil amongst the brethren.
This is evil and it is a sin in God’s eyes!
“speaks evil of the law and judges the law.
But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge.”
If you are speaking evil of people, other believers then you are no longer living out the scriptures but now you have set yourself up as a judge over them.
How?
Because the Bible says don’t slander, don’t speak evil.
But you think you know better and you slander and speak evil.
Think about this.
The person whom sinned you don’t know what God will do with them.
Perhaps later in life they will repent and come back to God and the church.
However, here you are talking bad about them behind their backs, spreading rumor and innuendo.
That garbage shouldn’t even be spoken about to other people.
That is gossip!
When you say that a person is doing something and that will send them to hell.
LikeI said earlier, are you God? Do you know what God will do with them later?
I am sure many Christians in Paul’s day would have said he was going to hell because he was killing the believers, but God gave him a miraculous intervention.
There is one lawgiver, that is God.
He is able to save to destroy.
You are not, you do not know all things.
He does.
How dare we speak evil to one another or slander someone, or spread gossip.
Remember doing such things makes you a person who is judging God’s law.
In essence who are we to judge?
You know what the problem is with those that are self-deceived; other than being self-deceived?
Many times they have a holier-than-thou attitude.
They have this weird bent toward sinful rivalries and conflicts.
Being this way will, often times, lead to a bitter attitude.
These Christians are often indifferent to the abysmal condition of their own faith.
These Christians are boastful and do a lot of bragging.
They have done what James warns about in chapter 2:4.
The have become “judges with evil thoughts.
Their speech has become corrupt:
These kinds of Christians have usurped God’s role as judge, not only over themselves but over others.
To behave like this shows that they have an abundance of pride and presumption.
Remember James 4:6?
The problem here is that they are self-deceived so they don’t know they are in pride.
They don’t stop to do self-examination.
They don’t ask God to show them their sins so that they may confess and repent of them.
They are carnal, unspiritual and surface level.
The problem is, 9 times out of 10, they think they are spiritual and a deep Christian.
But in reality, they aren’t.
Illustration -
You know just a few months ago my wife and I were visiting some old friends.
In times past we had accepted them as family, treated them as family.
However since right before the pandemic any time I saw them I would pick up on an attitude change.
I thought it was in my mind, because we have none them for over 10 years.
You see, while I was trying to be a good dad, teacher, Sunday School teacher and recently Pastor of this church; there was some gossip going on.
False gossip.
That I knew nothing about.
To this day I don’t know the details.
Again, I thought it was in my mind.
Did they ever ask me anything?
Did they ever seek me out or even let me know they had a problem.
No, they didn’t.
I am thinking this is all in my mind, until one day we are at a gathering and they happened to be there.
The woman comes up to my wife and says, and I quote, “We sure do miss you; even though your husband is a putz.”
Needless to say, we are now dis-associating with them.
For those of you who were like me, I didn’t know the exact definition of the word “putz” so I looked it up.
This type of individual is a stupid, foolish, or ineffectual person.
A synonym for this is JERK.
I am not sure where they got that.
I never intend to treat people wrongly, that is never a motive for me.
I have no idea what colored their opinion, but there you have it.
Now, moving right along....
Life Point - Watch Where You’re Walking
Exegetical -
Homiletical -
This next section is more about presumption, and arrogance enacted in the Christian’s life.
James uses the idea of the business man here as an illustration.
This would have been something they could relate to.
This is all about the pride of the successful person.
This kind of pride should never be in the Christians thinking.
This person says to himself, and maybe others, “look at me, look at what I have done with my hands and intelligence.
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